The History of Standard Oil: Volume 1

Written by Ida M. Tarbell

Narrated by LibriVox Community

The History of the Standard Oil Company is a book written by journalist Ida Tarbell in 1904. It was an exposé of the Standard Oil Company, run at that time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller the richest figure in America's history. Originally serialized in 19 parts in McClure's magazine, the book was a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts, large businesses that (in the absence of strong antitrust law in the 19th century) attempted to gain monopolies in various industries. The History of the Standard Oil Company was credited with hastening the breakup of Standard Oil, which came about in 1911. ( Summary by Wikipedia )

Note: This reading does not include any of the 36 Appendices.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

Reviews for The History of Standard Oil

[Bud Tyler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was turned onto this book by a podcast showing the corruption of big oil , and the book did not disappoint! Excellent information.

[Melanie Cornelius · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book explains how the Standard Oil Company and John D. Rockefeller cane to utterly dominate the oil business between 1860 and 1878 through the use of The South Co and control of the railroads using rebates and refunds to gain advantage over producers and distillers, most in utter secrecy. It traces the history of oil production and refining in Pennsylvania and Ohio and it’s necessary growth through control of transportation, including pipelines, teamsters and railroads. An incredible story with relevance toward the pricing of commodities and raw materials throughly relevant to today. A book not to be missed!