The Wildcatter: A Portrait of Robert O. Anderson

Anderson, a major figure in the American petroleum industry, was head of ARCO when the giant conglomerate's Arctic oil discovery led to construction of the controversial Alaska pipeline in the early 1970s. He is also, as described in this admiring biography, a leading world environmentalist. Further, he has directed and substantially supported the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies and once purchased the London Observer newspaper purportedly to assure its survival. Observer editor Harris here describes Anderson's youthful start as a ""wildcatter,'' or one-man oil exploration company, and his business expansion through a series of successes, mergers and acquisitions, culminating in his control of Atlantic-Richfield. Now in his 70s, Anderson has gone back to wildcatting, according to the author, seeking again the personal excitement of ``the greatest industry in the world.'' (November 24)