The Oracle of Oil
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outside the US

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Sign up to get a free copy of The Oracle of Oil's epilogue, which covers events from Hubbert's death in 1989 up to today, including the Iraq wars, the Great Recession, and the "shale revolution."

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Reviews of The Oracle of Oil

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"The Oracle of Oil is a masterful telling of Hubbert’s life and ideas, written by journalist Mason Inman, a knowledgeable and graceful storyteller." 
Charles Hall, review in Science

“(Inman’s) sympathetic but clear-sighted portrayal is … a fascinating read.”
Ed Crooks, review in Financial Times

"
In Hubbert’s story, Inman has found a meditation on the booms and busts that marked twentieth-century economic growth.​... In writing the first biography of Hubbert, Inman has retrieved, if not rescued, the story of a scientist who has much to offer to today’s energy conundrum."

Gregor Macdonald, review in Nature

"The Oracle of Oil is an enlightening book that pays fitting tribute to a brave scientist who cautioned about our reliance on oil and our need to transition to a renewable energy economy, long before it was fashionable."
Olive Heffernan, review in Nature Energy

"Inman has written a terrific book because it is really not about peak oil; it is about a fascinating man living in interesting times, and Inman captures a sense of both."
Lloyd Alter, review in Treehugger

"I strongly recommend it. I could fairly be described as a longstanding Hubbert devotee. After devouring Inman’s meticulously researched and entertainingly written biography, I feel even more indebted to the great man than before."
Richard Heinberg, review for the Post Carbon Institute

"It is a gripping read that illuminates not only the life of a true visionary but also the evolution of one of our era's key challenges. If you like well-written, thoroughly researched books about energy, get The Oracle of Oil."
Mark Lewis
Barclays Investment Bank​, Managing Director of European Utilities Research
​(writing in a personal capacity)


Advance praise

"Visionaries invariably fascinate us, but this engaging biography of a prophetic oil geologist, M. King Hubbert, is more than just an absorbing read: It reveals wise insight into how we might still turn our reckless slide down the back side of Hubbert's infamous peak into a reasonably soft landing."
Alan Weisman
New York Times best-selling author of The World Without Us

"The Oracle of Oil is a great example of how bringing the past alive can help us make sense of the future. Both Hubbert the man and his big idea are fascinating, and together they make a rich biography."
Sam Kean
New York Times best-selling author of The Disappearing Spoon
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"This is a remarkable account of a remarkable man—and for that matter a remarkable moment in American history, when we began to realize there were limits to our endless expansion." 
Bill McKibben
​
Author of Deep Economy and co-founder of 350.org

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"I devoured The Oracle of Oil in one sitting. It is simply the best biography of a scientist I have ever had the pleasure to read. The narrative is clear and compelling as it moves through Hubbert's eventful life, which ties so strongly to major events of the twentieth century. Hubbert was clearly a great teacher, and through this book, he still has much to teach us."
Philip Neches
computer scientist and businessman, co-founder of Teradata and member of board of trustees of the California Institute of Technology

"I can truly recommend this book. It's a captivating portrait of an astonishing man. And the research behind it is amazing."
Therese Uddenfeldt
author of Gratislunchen: Eller varför det är så svårt att förstå att allt har ett slut (Free lunch: Or why it is so difficult to understand that everything has an end)

Tweets about the book

Marion King Hubbert was a fascinating figure, central to the history of oil. Recommended: https://t.co/ex8nHAcnuB pic.twitter.com/LpDOndVKmR

— Ed Crooks (@Ed_Crooks) April 24, 2025

Review of @masoninman's 'The Oracle of Oil'. I had reservations, but it's a great read: https://t.co/ZvffFrZ38n

— Ed Crooks (@Ed_Crooks) April 24, 2025

What a read! @masoninman's #TheOracleOfOil provides fantastic insight into the life of M King Hubbert -- his vision, his science, his legacy

— Calvin Sloan (@CalvinSloan) April 23, 2025

@masoninman I read your engaging book. The Oracle of Oil puts you on par with the wonderful writer Simon Winchester.

— Seppo A. Korpela (@Seppo_Korpela) April 13, 2025

Highly recommend Mason Inman's book on M. King Hubbert called The Oracle of Oil. It's loaded with insight and vision https://t.co/M5bKiC7aXH

— greenbanc (@greenbanc) April 5, 2025

The Oracle of Oil - https://t.co/eelXB5Mxsf via @Shareaholic

Excellent, well written biography of M. King Hubbart

— James W Murray (@jimmurray) April 1, 2025

@entropy1234 haven't read yet but didn't Hubbert lead industry astray? I have always been peak oil denier

— Amy Myers Jaffe (@AmyJaffeenergy) March 30, 2025

(1/3) Just finished the excellent biography/story of the father of Peak Oil, Marion King Hubbert, "The Oracle of Oil", by @masoninman,

— Mark C. Lewis (@MCL1965) March 26, 2025

(2/3) It is a gripping read that illuminates not only the life of a true visionary but also the evolution of one of our era's key challenges

— Mark C. Lewis (@MCL1965) March 26, 2025

(3/3) So, if you like well-written, thoroughly researched books about energy, get "The Oracle of Oil" by @masoninman. And Mason, take a bow

— Mark C. Lewis (@MCL1965) March 26, 2025

First amazon review of my book is up, from @OIL_MEN: ***** “A sound, excellent work, and very pleasant to read too” https://t.co/H2qMeUnIhy

— Mason Inman (@masoninman) March 24, 2025

Don't miss @masoninman busting myths about #peakoil and M. King Hubbert on latest episode of the @TransitionShow https://t.co/kA29s7S846

— Michael Noble (@NobleIdeas) March 23, 2025
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