Crude is the unexpurgated story of oil, from the circumstances of its birth millions of years ago, to the spectacle of its rise as the indispensible ingredient of modern life. In addition to fueling cars and illuminating cities, crude oil and its byproducts fertilise produce, pave roads and make plastic possible. The modern world is drenched in oil; the story of how this came to be is a great human drama of discovery and innovation, risk, the promise of riches and the unconquerable power of greed.