Saudi, Inc.: The Arabian Kingdom's Pursuit of Profit and Power Hardcover – 3 April 2018

Saudi, Inc. is a compact review of Saudi Arabia's development as the world's key oil producer. It's clear, concise, and above all factual. There's not much even a longtime monitor of oil policy can quibble with in Ellen Wald's work. This one belongs, well-read, on the shelf with the (very few) other must-reads about the world oil industry.

Good book...doesn’t really have any material which you can’t find on the internet

What started out as a doctoral thesis turned into a 10-year project for academic turned author Ellen Wald. The doctoral thesis eventually expanded into "Saudi Inc.". I found the book a fascinating blend of business, history, and politics, often told through the personal recollections of individuals directly involved in the events that made Saudi Aramco what it is today - the biggest oil company in the world, and one of the most efficient.The book opens with King Abdulazziz Al-Saud, the father of the Kingdom, preparing for the assault on Riyadh in 1902 that was to lead eventually to the establishment of the Saudi state.After capturing the city's main fort, "he watched the sun set over the vast desert before him and looked towards Makkah, many miles to the west,and many victories away," Wald wrote.My recommendation for a good read is 'buy'.