Becoming the centre of public debate during the 2014 Scottish referendum, the North Sea oil forms a crucial chapter in Scottish history. Written by an industry insider, a combination of lightly technical explanation and anecdotal accounts explore the process of developing new oil fields and oil production. A poignantly human perspective of a lucrative and challenging industry, Shepherd highlights the importance of the reserves to a nation, and the impact of the production surge upon the men and women of the local community in Aberdeen.

Shepherd tells an extraordinary story in plain words, without talking down to the lay reader. The result is a rattling good yarn that is a major contribution to public understanding of what goes on our there, over that cold, grey, storm horizon. - SCOTTISH REVIEW OF BOOKS

Mike Shepherd was born in Aberdeen and witnessed the arrival of the oil industry to the city in his teenage years. Later working for BP and Shell planning oil wells in the North Sea, his childhood dream of becoming a geologist was realised with over thirty years experience in the oil indus-try. His previous work includes the textbook Oil Field Production Geology, used for postgraduate study both in the UK and abroad.