This book is the story of he world's second-largest petroleum resource, Alberta's oil sands, and interweaves tales from many sources. Little is known about early Firt Nations encounters with this material, but there is much speculation. In the century since it entered the historical record, many people have helped to explore and develop the sector. They have included politicans and and industry leaders, acadmics in petroleum-related fields, engineers and others in the field. To a large degree through interviews with the industr's pioneers, this book tells many stories of the oil sands.