The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 79, July 1975 - April, 1976 Page: 485

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Book Reviews

mechanism involved in the oil-finding effort" (Foreword, ix). While it
treats of social, political, and economic aspects of the industry, by and
large the book is the story of oil-finding from the geologist's point of view.
This is fair enough, for it was written primarily for Owen's fellow profes-
sionals in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), for
which it is Memoir 6. But it is of interest and of value to historians and
.other nongeologists. Owens's writing is clear and readable, whether he is
,dealing with a geological theory or a personality.
The narrative is divided into twenty-four chapters that range in length
from 14 pages (the first and shortest) to the 292-page chapter, "Latin
America, After I920," which was contributed primarily by J. Herbert
:Sawyer. Except for that and some sections on Africa, Owen wrote all of
the book. Each section is followed by an extensive bibliography covering
the place and era. A chapter's bibliography is often longer than the bibli-
,ography of some entire books.
As an indication of Texas material, sampling of facts, topics, and names
includes: sale of one 50,ooo-barrel lot of oil from the East Texas field in
-the 1930s for s2/ cents per barrel; George W. Strake, Sr., bringing in the
"Conroe field without the aid of geophysics; how Humble became Jersey
Standard's arm, or at least partner, in Texas in i919; why East Texas
was particularly attractive to those with nothing to lose; John W. Mecom
and Michael T. Halbouty in Alaska in the late I950s; Glenn McCarthy
in Bolivia in 1950s; Hugh Roy Cullen; the King Ranch and Humble;
:Sid Richardson; Edgar B. Davis and the Luling field in 1922; James
Abercrombie and the Old Ocean field and the Middle East's Neutral
Zone; John G. (Jack) Pew of Sun Oil in Venezuela; Hunt International
-in Argentina; Bunker Hunt in Libya; H. L. Hunt in Greece, and Myron
Kinley fighting fire at a well blowout in France in I951. Some of these
.are merely mentioned in a larger context; others are dealt with more fully.
This is a book that belongs in any college, university, or public library
-where serious research is going on about the oil industry. In years to come
it may be accepted as a proper place to begin. "Go to Owen," the professor
will instruct the graduate student beginning a paper on oil history, "and
-see what he has about it."
Texarkana, Texas JAMES PRESLEY
Oil and the Mexican Revolution. By Merrill Rippy. (Leiden, the Nether-
lands: E. J. Brill, 1974. Pp. xvi+345. $io.50.)
It is gratifying to see Professor Rippy's work finally in an English edition.

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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 79, July 1975 - April, 1976, periodical, 1975/1976; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101203/m1/542/ocr/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.

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