Introduction: the Texas paradox -- And then there was light: from chaos to order in the kerosene era (1859-1911) -- No Rockefeller, no peace: boom-bust returns (1912-1933) -- Why are oil prices prone to boom bust cycles? -- The Texas era of price stability: US supply controls and international cartelization (1934-1972) -- The birth of OPEC: 1960-1969 -- The transformational seventies, part two: 1970-1980 -- OPEC's rude awakening: 1981-1990 -- OPEC muddles through: 1991-2003 -- Twilight: OPEC's power to prevent price spikes ebbs and vanishes: 2004-2008 -- Oil's third boom-bust era: 2009-? -- Epilogue: a challenge with no easy solution.
