The History of the Standard Oil Company

The History of the Standard Oil Company

Author	Ida M. Tarbell
Language	English
Subject	Standard Oil Company
Published	1904 McClure, Phillips and Co.
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print
OCLC	12591113
LC Class	04035331

The History of the Standard Oil Company is a 1904 book by journalist Ida Tarbell. It is an exposé about the Standard Oil Company, run at the time by oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, the richest figure in American history. 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 subsequent decision splintered the company into 34 "baby Standards." The value of Rockefeller's shares rose after the breakup as the new companies had a positive development on the stock exchange.^[1]

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