The Prize tells the story of oil, the commodity that shaped the twentieth century more than any other. Daniel Yergin, an energy analyst and historian, traces the industry from its Pennsylvania origins through the age of Rockefeller, two world wars in which oil proved decisive, the rise of Middle Eastern producers, the OPEC shocks of the 1970s, and subsequent developments through the first Gulf War. The book combines corporate history, geopolitics, biography, and economics, showing how the pursuit of oil has driven international relations, sparked wars, created fortunes, and transformed how humans live. Yergin profiles the characters who built the industry: wildcatters, corporate titans, kings and dictators, engineers and speculators. He explains the technology of extraction and refining, the economics of supply and demand, and the politics of producing and consuming nations. The Prize won the Pulitzer Prize and remains the definitive history of an industry that, for all the talk of energy transition, continues to shape global politics and daily life. For readers seeking to understand how we arrived at our current energy situation—and the forces that will shape what comes next—Yergin provides essential background.