The incredible tale of how ambitious oil rivals Marcus Samuel, Jr. and Henri Deterding joined forces to topple the Standard Oil empire

Marcus Samuel, Jr., is an unorthodox Jewish merchant trader. Henri Deterding is a take-no-prisoners oilman. In 1889, John D. Rockefeller is at the peak of his power. Having annihilated all competition and possessing near-total domination of the market, even the U.S. government is wary of challenging the great “anaconda” of Standard Oil. The Standard never loses—that is until Samuel and Deterding team up to form Royal Dutch Shell.

A riveting account of ambition, oil, and greed, Breaking Rockefeller traces Samuel’s rise from outsider to the heights of the British aristocracy, Deterding’s conquest of America, and the collapse of Rockefeller’s monopoly. The beginning of the twentieth century is a time when vast fortunes were made and lost. Taking readers through the rough and tumble of East London’s streets, the twilight turmoil of czarist Russia, to the halls of the British Parliament, and right down Broadway in New York City, Peter Doran offers a richly detailed, fresh perspective on how Samuel and Deterding beat the world’s richest man at his own game.

Peter B. Doran is vice president for research at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington, D.C., where he leads the center’s energy horizons and defense programs. He is the author of the popular “History of Oil” podcast on iTunes. A recognized expert on international affairs and national security, his articles have appeared in Foreign Policy, Defense News, National Review, The American Spectator, and the Journal of Energy Security. His analysis and commentary are regularly featured in U.S. and European media, such as Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. He holds a master's degree from Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service in the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies.