16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great insight into world of Marc Rich, Nov 25 2009
By Kindle Addict - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich (Hardcover)
As much as any book can, The King of Oil reveals an incredible amount of information into the world of Marc Rich. Because Marc Rich is so secretive it is hard to compare this book to any other written pieces about him.....but this book is fascinating because it touches upon the geopolitics, the emergence of the spot market for oil, commodity trading, presidential politics, business etc.
The downside of this book is that it doesn't reveal "how" Marc Rich won crucial contracts, established relationships and competed with other commodity traders. Perhaps it's too hard to reconstruct the deal-making conversations, but it would be interesting to hear the inside stories of those critical turning points in his career.
The book is an easy read and well worth it for anyone who is interested in the intersection of geopolitics and business.
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Closer to the truth about Marc Rich, Oct 30 2009
By L. Bonner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich (Hardcover)
I read "Metal Men" by Copetas when it was published in the 1980's. At the time it was a supposed expose about Marc Rich and his expoitative behavior and treachery, and was the only book written about him. There was never an interview with Rich in the book, and when I re-read it after the Clinton pardon in 2001 it still left me with a feeling that alot was missing.
This new book by Ammann is a satisfying, eye-opening piece of balanced journalism that sheds enough light on Rich's life and works to allow the reader to make his own judgment on the man and the circumstances.
A well-written read for anyone interested in the life and motivations of an international businessman and, by default, political figure.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The author's access Makes this book worth it, Dec 13 2009
By Andrew Tollemache "Tollywood13" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich (Hardcover)
This is good book and I would daresay, an important one. For a man of his importance and prominence, Marc Rich has not been the focus of too many books. The total access that the author got to write this book makes it a very worthy read. For decades the only side of this story I knew was the prosecution's case. Ammann's interviews with Rich allow us to hear the other side, to hear counter arguments and perspective from the man himself. Does he give a totally balanced and detailed explanation of Rich's activities? No. Does it matter? Not really, since someone else will probably have to write that book. This subject area is ripe for further research and I welcome Ammann's effort here.
