The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 67, July 1963 - April, 1964 Page: 267

Notes and Documents

rexas Petroleum istor:
A Selective AnIaotated ibligrapIty
WALTER RUNDELL, JR.
THIS BIBLIOGRAPHY ATTEMPTS TO EVALUATE SELECTED LITER-
ature dealing with the history of the petroleum industry
in Texas. The list of books treated is by no means com-
prehensive; it is merely an effort to comment on some of the
significant volumes dealing with the Texas oil industry. Inter-
ested readers may add to the list as they see fit. The preparation
of the bibliography has revealed that only one of the four major
phases of this industry has been dealt with extensively. That phase
is production. In this respect, the literature on Texas oil exhibits
the same characteristics as that dealing with the industry on a
national basis. Since production is easily the most exciting and
spectacular part of the industry, it is perhaps natural that it would
be the first to be awarded a thorough historical treatment. Some
scholarly effort has recently been devoted to transportation and
refining, but marketing has been notably lacking the attention of
historians.
As a result of the early monopolistic control of the industry by
John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil combination and the con-
tinued importance of the "majors," a great deal has been written
about the economic structure and implications of the industry.
Since the history of industry is, after all, a phase of the more
comprehensive field of economic history (where the dividing line
between the two disciplines sometimes grows dim), these eco-
nomic approaches take their place as important adjuncts to the
body of literature dealing with the industry's history. Conse-
quently, significant books on the economics of Texas oil are dealt
with here. The plentiful economic scholarship devoted to Texas
oil is indicative of that devoted to the industry nationally. Since
Texas oil inevitably figures in any general economic analysis of
the industry, important volumes of this nature are likewise
discussed.

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