Author:Steve Coll
Steve Coll's Private Empire is winner of the FT/GOLDMAN SACHS BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2012. In this prize-winning book, the author of Ghost Wars and The Bin Ladens investigates the notoriously mysterious ExxonMobil Corporation and the secrets of the oil industry
In many of the nations where it operates, ExxonMobil has a greater sway than that of the US embassy, its annual revenues are larger than the total economic activity in most countries and in Washington it spends more on lobbying than any other corporation. Yet despite its outsized influence, it is to outsiders a black box.
Private Empire begins with the Exxon Valdez accident in 1989 and closes with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Steve Coll's narrative spans the globe, taking readers to Moscow, impoverished African capitals, Indonesia and elsewhere as ExxonMobil carries out its activities against a backdrop of blackmail threats, kidnapping, civil wars, and high-stakes struggles at the Kremlin. In the US, Coll goes inside ExxonMobil's ruthless Washington lobbying offices and its corporate headquarters in Irving, Texas, where top executives oversee a bizarre corporate culture of discipline and secrecy.
Private Empire is the masterful result of Steve Coll's indefatigable reporting, from the halls of Congress to the oil-laden swamps of the Niger Delta; previously classified U.S. documents; heretofore unexamined court records; and many other sources.
Magisterial ... a revealing history of our time, a chronicle of the intersection between energy and politics
—— Bill McKibben , New York Review of BooksMeticulously researched and elegantly written, it is likely to be the definitive work on its subject for many years to come. Steve Coll ... is honest about Exxon's strengths as well as its flaws, and presents both sides of the arguments with scrupulous even-handedness ... At every stop there are vivid anecdotes, sharp insights and telling details
—— Ed Crooks , Financial TimesMasterful ... Coll's in-depth reporting, buttressed by his anecdotal prose, make Private Empire a must-read ... [His] portrait of ExxonMobil is both riveting and appalling... Yet Private Empire is not so much an indictment as a fascinating look into American business and politics
—— San Francisco ChronicleMeticulous, multi-angled and valuable ... Coll's prose sweeps the earth like an Imax camera
—— Dwight Garner , New York TimesA thorough, sobering study of the pernicious consolidation of Big Oil ... jaw-dropping reading
—— Kirkus ReviewsIn this outstanding testament to the resilience of the human spirit, Ping takes readers on a journey both heartbreaking and inspiring. Ping's eloquent prose and remarkable attitude shine through in every word-and her compelling story will remind more than one reader to be thankful for what they have.
—— Publishers WeeklyHere are useful lessons for any young African businessperson
—— Africa ReportA really refreshing guide by somebody who has made a fair amount of money following his own advice. An excellent book... Highly recommended
—— Irish IndependentVery few people have had more impact than Luke Johnson
—— Peter Harden, founder, Harden’s Restaurant GuidesAn engaging and useful read
—— Financial NewsProvocative and worth reading
—— Michael Spencer, founder and Chief Executive, ICAPA fascinating glimpse behind Apple's famously closed doors, taking the reader inside the inner sanctum and sneaking a peek at the marketing meetings presided over by Jobs
—— PC Advisor