Born out of scientific and inventive genius, and brought to the masses by entrepreneurs like John D. Rockefeller, the oil industry took a seemingly useless substance and transformed it into an incalculable value to men's lives. And yet with all the glory it has brought man, the oil industry has been vilified, strangled, looted since its inception.

"The Triumph and Tragedy of the Oil Industry" tells the story of how scientists, inventors, engineers and, above all, businessmen transformed black glop into black gold—into the fuel that would power man's transportation by car, boat, truck, airplane, space shuttle. It tells the story of how this glorious achievement has been undercut by bad philosophy and bad politicians cashing in on its spoils. Finally, Mr. Epstein chronicles the oil industry's own role in its destruction, and how it has managed to keep producing and profiting despite huge regulations against it.