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The History of the Standard Oil Company

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By Ida M. Tarbell
Source: Public Domain

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Editor’s Note
This two-volume book is an “exposé about the Standard Oil Company, run at the time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the richest figure in American history.” More from Wikipedia:

“Originally serialized in nineteen parts in McClure’s magazine, the book is a seminal example of muckraking, and inspired many other journalists to write about trusts, large businesses that (in the absence of strong antitrust laws in the 19th century) attempted to gain monopolies in various industries.”

“The History of the Standard Oil Company is credited with hastening the breakup of Standard Oil, which came about in 1911, when the Supreme Court of the United States found the company to be violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.”

“The original book was a two-volume hardcover set. An abridged paperback edition was released later.”

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929. It was adapted by the Observatory from a version produced by Wikisource contributors. The longest-living author of this work died in 1944, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 79 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
Published: 1904 Last edited: March 13, 2025
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  • tags
  • economy
  • corporations
  • big oil
  • muckraker
  • history
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Related Reads
    BY
    Ida M. Tarbell
    Ida M. Tarbell (1857–1944) “was an American writer, investigative journalist, biographer, and lecturer. She was one of the leading muckrakers and reformers of the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and was a pioneer of investigative journalism.” She “is best known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil Company.” (Source: Wikipedia.)
    DATE OF PUBLICATION
    1904
    SOURCE
    Public Domain

    Table of Contents
    • Volume 1
    • Preface
    • Chapter 1: The Birth of an Industry
    • Chapter 2: The Rise of the Standard Oil Company
    • Chapter 3: The Oil War of 1872
    • Chapter 4: “An Unholy Alliance”
    • Chapter 5: Laying the Foundations of a Trust
    • Chapter 6: Strengthening the Foundations
    • Chapter 7: The Crisis of 1878
    • Chapter 8: The Compromise of 1880
    • Appendix
    • Volume 2
    • Chapter 9: The Fight for the Seaboard Pipe-Line
    • Chapter 10: Cutting to Kill
    • Chapter 11: The War on the Rebate
    • Chapter 12: The Buffalo Case
    • Chapter 13: The Standard Oil Company and Politics
    • Chapter 14: The Breaking Up of the Trust
    • Chapter 15: A Modern War for Independence
    • Chapter 16: The Price of Oil
    • Chapter 17: The Legitimate Greatness of the Standard Oil Company
    • Chapter 18: Conclusion
    • Appendix
    • Index
    Retrieved from "https://observatory.wiki/w/index.php?title=Classics:The_History_of_the_Standard_Oil_Company&oldid=13940"
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