This is the story of an enterprise which began at the turn of the century with a few pioneers in the barren wastes of south-west Persia, and today produces, sells, or searches for oil in almost every country of the free world. Few can fail to be enthralled by the romance of its earlier days or by the drama of the night of 26th May 1908, which was to change thecourse of Middle Eastern history and shape the world of the oil industry.