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Queen of the Oil Club: The Intrepid Wanda Jablonski and the Power of Information

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Author: Anna Rubino
Publisher: Beacon Press
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$29.95~~
Buy New: $17.60
You Save: $12.35 (41%)

New (33) Used (8) from $17.60

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

8 reviews
Sales Rank: 41786

Format: Illustrated
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 344
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.5

ISBN: 080707277X
Dewey Decimal Number: 070.44933827282092
EAN: 9780807072776
ASIN: 080707277X

Publication Date: June 28, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: LIGHT SHELF WEAR TO DUST JACKET ED10

Also Available In:

•	Kindle Edition - Queen of the Oil Club: The Intrepid Wanda Jablonski and the Power of Information

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
This is the story of a gutsy journalist who challenged power�and succeeded.
WandaJablonski was an investigative reporter, publisher, and power broker who came to wield exceptional influence on twentieth-century geopolitics by shedding light on the secretive world of oil from the 1950s through the 1980s. Jablonski unveiled many mysteries of the oil club, an elite group of Western executives who once controlled the international petroleum business.

Nicknamed the midwife of OPEC, Jablonski undermined Big Oil's dominance by exposing the vulnerabilities of the major oil companies and encouraging the rise of oil nationalism. Her scoops, commentaries, and private networking helped shape the debate that led to the creation of OPEC, the oil shocks of the 1970s, and the largest transfer of wealth in history.

Tenacious and glamorous, Wanda�as she was known in the oil world�coaxed her way into exploration sites in Middle Eastern deserts, drilling camps in the Venezuelan jungle, male-only boardrooms in New York and London, and the king's harem in Saudi Arabia. She survived threats, boycotts, and suspicions of espionage as she elicited information and insight from CEOs of the oil giants and political leaders, including the shah of Iran.

Working for the Journal of Commerce and other New York publications, Jablonski defied the prevailing view that a woman reporting on business had no credibility. In 1961, divorced and suddenly jobless, she took a big gamble by starting her own newsletter, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly, which was soon dubbed the "bible" of the oil world.

Today, when conflict in the Middle East and climate change cause us to reexamine our reliance on oil, Jablonski's prescience�whether about oil dependency, cultural insensitivity, or market manipulation�proves remarkable.

Anna Rubino, who reported for Jablonski in the 1980s, uses scores of interviews, exclusive access to her private papers, and newly declassified information to tell the dramatic story of this journalistic pioneer and the power of information.

"A riveting life story that illuminates a whole era�an era that continues to have so large an impact on our own times."
�from the Foreword by Daniel Yergin, author of The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"Part detective story and part political thriller, The Queen of the Oil Club is the true account of the most influential woman of the early oil age. It's a book you can't miss."
�Gregg Easterbrook, author of The Progress Paradox

"Wanda Jablonski was one of a kind�a reporter who revealed the secret world of the oil business, a woman who penetrated the inner sanctums of the Arab oil sheiks, and an entrepeneur who created a publication that was the industry's bible. Jablonski's colorful career comes alive in Anna Rubino's richly reported memoir."
�David Ignatius, columnist for The Washington Post and author of Body of Lies: A Novel

"A page-turner and a substantive biography, Queen of the Oil Club makes Middle East oil history come alive through the eyes of a truly trailblazing woman journalist."
�Ambassador Connie Morella, former Congresswoman from Maryland

"What a fascinating story and what a remarkable woman! Before women were even allowed to join the National Press Club, Wanda Jablonski managed, through determination, hard work, and excellent reporting, to overcome the odds and become one of the most influential journalists in our history. Jablonski not only chronicled the growth of the oil industry, she helped shape it�and brought oil barons to their knees."
�Bill Press, host of the Bill Press Show and author of Trainwreck

"A gem of a book about a remarkable woman and the shadowy world of oil and global politics. Anna Rubino has followed in Wanda Jablonski's footsteps, mining the data and presenting a fascinating story."
�Rachel Bronson, author of Thicker than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

A Queen Hidden from View October 12, 2008
"The Wanda" had influence and access that boggles the imagination, and that most journalists can only dream about. Yet, few people outside the upper reaches of the oil industry knew who she was, and the importance of what she did.
This book renders an important service by putting a spotlight on Wanda, and by laying bare some of what the oil industry has done to create dangerous tensions in the world, and a flaw in our economy that could turn out to be deadly.
It's too bad that the author didn't expose more of the dirt. But, as it is, this book is a fascinating read. It tells the reader a great deal of who Wanda Jablonski was, warts and all, and what made her tick. It also tells us a lot about how society's prejudices and ignorance spread into the oil industry, and in turn how the oil industry has influenced politics in America and elsewhere.
For whatever reasons, this book does not talk about Mexico, Italy, the mob, or any number of important aspects of the oil industry. Oh well, what it does have is worth more than the price.

5 out of 5 stars

Engaging history! August 10, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Oil affects us all more and more financially, environmentally and geopolitically as time passes. This engaging biography provides wonderful insight into the incubation of our current oil markets. Rubino also gives us a memorable image of a unique brave pacesetter for investigative business journalism, her uniqueness amplified by the fact that she was a woman. You will never read another article about this vital resource in the same way after being impacted by this book.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Read on Many Levels June 21, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

While I expected to find Queen of the Oil Club to be an educational read, I wasn't prepared for the page turner I found. Rubino's first person and you are there approach to Wanda's amazing life was riveting. So far,I've recommended it to friends looking for a lively summer read, writer friends, my graduate student niece who is pursuing Women's Studies and a friend who grew up in Saudi Arabia in the 1960's. There's something there for each of them.

5 out of 5 stars

The Seeds of Today's Oil Crisis June 21, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

The seeds of today's oil crisis were sown during the five decades that Wanda Jablonski reported on industry events and, through that reporting, influenced their outcome. To understand the current surge of oil nationalism on the part of both producer and consumer nations that will determine the future of hydrocarbons for years to come, we need to go back to the earlier rise of oil nationalism that led to the creation of OPEC. This book takes us there through the life of an extraordinary woman. Wanda, her first name sufficed to identify her whether in the court of the King of Saudi Arabia or the Exxon executive offices, had access to the boardrooms and bedouins that created the oil machine. She spoke the truth to their faces and told her readers what went on behind the curtain. In an all-male oil world, she earned respect and fear for the power she wielded as a journalist who knew as much or more about this crucial industry than the men who ran it. Anna Rubino captures Wanda, a strangely reclusive woman who quietly re-wrote the rules of business journalism and influenced the world we live in today.

5 out of 5 stars

Queen of the Oil Club June 18, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Review for "The Queen of the Oil Club"
Anna Rubino takes us into the world of oil in the 1950's through the eyes of a remarkable woman, Wanda Jablonski. In this clearly readable book the reader is exposed to the personalities of the industry leaders, the look and feel of the Middle Eastern cities and the customs and concerns of its people. Filled with high drama, this book tells a fascinating and timely story, perhaps even more relevant in view of today's oil crisis.
Donald and Kathie Eppert

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