Context:

Dominic opens by reading a lengthy quote about oil from this book, describing Kapuscinski as 'the great Polish travel writer' and the book as 'brilliant,' noting it's about Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.

Context:

Tom mentions reading this book in manuscript form before it was published, and quotes his own endorsement that appeared on the back of the book. Helen Thompson is the guest on the podcast, and this is her book about geopolitics and oil, described as 'just out this week.'

Context:

Tom references 'Herodotus, in his great history' as the first historian to mention oil, describing how Herodotus wrote about a city destroyed by the Persians and the people being taken to a region of Iran where there was 'a kind of black liquid' that was black and gave off a 'revolting stench.'

Context:

Tom mentions he is currently 'reading Pliny the Elder, who is a fantastic encyclopedia, absolutely panoramic' and describes Pliny's account of oil's uses including cement, keeping away snakes, curing toothache, leprosy, epilepsy, gout, and coughs.