The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes

The Big Rich and the Big Men who made History in the Texas Oil Patch

This is a great read for anyone interested in the history of Texas Oil and the men and their families that became legends. The book's story is centered around the bigger than life H.L. Hunt, Clint Murchison, Sid Richardson, and Roy Cullen and their rise in riches from oil and their influence in State and National politics.

You will laugh at the many unbelievable tales and not want to put this book down.

Get ready for a rip roaring history that is big as Texas and the men who made it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Left wing book

Interesting book to read, but the author makes it quit clear of his left wing bias against conservatives. The author is a liberal and he must of mentioned the words right wing extremist and racist right wingers on almost every page on the last half of the book. Do not recomend.

Excellant Read

I was not raised in Texas but have lived in Houston since the 80's so this book was very interesting. I liked learning about how Texas came about & how influencial the oil industry has been. I have passed this on to many friends who have seemed to like the book as well. Easy, interesting reading

Historical but reads like fiction

I came upon this book somewhat by chance. As a native Texan and Houstonian (growing up there in the 1950's and 60's) plus living in West Texas for a time and knowing quite a few of the locales mentioned, I found this book to be highly interesting and entertaining, even though Texas is portrayed in a bad light at times. In contrast to comments by a couple of previous reviewers, I thought the book was easily readable and I noted no misspelled Texas towns. [The only suspect along those lines was the date of San Jacinto Day, given as April 22nd but in reality April 21st]. There was quite a bit of dissipation in the lives of the Big Rich but keep in mind the benefits of their charitable contributions (the Texas Medical Center, University of Houston, other university buildings and programs, etc) and the economic growth generated, helping the average person.

The Big Rich

The book describes how the big rich Texas oilmen came from modest backgrounds and took big risks. When they came up in the world they forgot about their backgrounds and contributed to right-wing causes.

Not Well Researched

I quit on page 37. Why do you ask? The lack of researching the correct spelling of towns in Texas. This Texan is proud of their state. Incorrectly spelling names of towns is not tolerated well by this Texan. How can I rely on the rest of the information to be correct? In this day and age there is too much technology available for research to spell the name of any town wrong. I plan to send this book to the author, who lives in another state.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Why are gas prices so high? Read on.

If you have complained about the price of energy this is a "must read".

"The Big Rich" is a wonderful synopsis of the history of Texas oil and the players that made it happen.

The book also details the influence this group of individuals have on Presidents, Congress and the decisions that affect all Americans and how this came about.

If this was a novel you might not believe what goes on...but, it's reality.

Recommended

O, to be in Texas now that oil's there! This book is an ambitious attempt to explain the Texas phenomenon: "Big Rich," i.e., those men who got enormously wealthy very quickly courtesy of black gold. It's a hoot reading about them and how they made and spent their money. The author also details how some of them lost their wealth almost immediately and how the second or third generations ran the wells dry. Alas, while very informative, the book is flawed because it tries to cover so much. The subjects just don't mesh together preferring to lead their individual lives without reference to one another. From the reader's viewpoint, this means following any number of story lines and family lines to the point of confusion. Nevertheless, I do recommend this book-its good points outweigh the bad.

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