Oil: King of the World?

The next time you see someone spouting off about the so called evil oil companies and their corrupt and money grubbing ways, ask them if they have a laptop and then promptly tell them that the aforementioned laptop is protected by a “tough polycarbonate case” made from oil. This is one of the facts that children and even adults can learn from reading Oil and Natural Gas, a children’s book published by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and DK Publishing that talks about the basics of oil and natural gas, clearing the air about common misconceptions and teaching the lesser known facts about the widely used resource.

The first sentence of the book says it all; “Our world is ruled by oil.” With a resource that the world is so heavily dependent on, everyone should understand it, and this book allows for that. It is easy to understand, explaining topics such as what oil actually is, where it comes from, how it is found, and it allows the reader to “discover the story of petroleum, and the many ways it shapes the world we live in” as the front cover says. The book covers everything one could ever possibly want to know about oil and natural gas; it even discusses unconventional natural gas, covering coalbed methane, shale gas, tight gas, and methane hydrates.

The first page of the book gives a general overview of this sticky subject called oil; “Oil is our most important energy source, providing fuel to keep transportation going, and natural gas to generate the electricity on which our modern lifestyles rely. Oil is also a raw material from which many key substances, including plastics, are made.” The book notes that the US has gone “from a few tens of thousands of barrels in 1900 to over 21 million barrels in 2000.”

For a world that uses so much of this fossil fuel, people in general know surprising little about the substance. That’s why this book is so great at this time in the world’s history. Oil and natural gas are huge issues and topics of discussion in the world right now, and this book helps explain them in layman’s terms. There are many people that could benefit from picking this book up and reading it from cover to cover.

It is eye-opening to learn that oil makes up many items in the household such as ipods, computers, food wrap, Crocs, rubber ducks, shampoo bottles, to items that are not as common such as Kevlar vests, artificial limbs, and nylons.

There is a timeline in the back of the book that highlights major events in the ever expanding history of oil. Starting in 4500 BCE and moving forward to 2007, many developments have been made, and the world has come a long way from sealing boats with bitumen and lighting their homes with oil lamps to carrying laptops and manufacturing superfast swim suits.

With fun, colorful pictures, this book is one that children and adults can enjoy. Whether the reader is a child who knows nothing about oil, or a petroleum engineer who has been in the industry for 30 years, he or she will benefit from this book. It can be read as a presentation of new and interesting facts or even as a refresher for those that have been so immersed in the industry that they have forgotten the simple basics about this popular substance. The language is easy to understand, and the material is fascinating. It is definitely a must-read for anyone with a curiosity about oil and natural gas.

The book, which was originally printed in 2007, is now being reprinted with 38,000 copies in English, and 3,000 copies each in five other languages (Spanish, Arabic, French, Russian, and Chinese). The books are available online at the SPE website and on Amazon.com. It is a delightful read, and there are few who will read it and fail to learn something of interest.

To purchase the book click here or here