Breaking Rockefeller: The Incredible Story of the Ambitious Rivals Who Toppled an Oil Empire

Marcus Samuel, Jr, is a Jewish merchant trader. Henri Deterding is a take-no-prisoners oilman. In 1889, John D. Rockefeller is at the peak of his power. Having annihilated all competition and possessing near-total domination of the market, even the U.S. government is wary of challenging the great "anaconda" of Standard Oil. The Standard never loses - that is until Samuel and Deterding team up to form Royal Dutch Shell.

A riveting account of ambition, oil, and greed, Breaking Rockefeller traces Samuel's rise from outsider to the heights of British aristocracy, Deterding's conquest of America, and the collapse of Rockefeller's monopoly. The result is a richly detailed, fresh perspective on how two rivals beat the world's richest man at his own game.