Oil. Without it there are no planes, no plastics, no petrol.

It has started and ended wars. It is the lifeblood of the modern world - and the leading cause of climate change.

As humanity faces a reckoning with its dependence upon oil, Vaclav Smil explores the contentious history - and future - of the 'black stuff', from ancient origins to the political and economic shockwaves it has triggered. Informative and thought-provoking, this is an essential guide to one of Earth's most valuable and consequential commodities.