Dry overview of energy discovery and use through western history. Touches on wood, coal, oils, gasses, and newer sources without getting technical; names the principal inventors without going into much of their biography.

The early chapters do a good job of showing the various fuels burned to provide light, comparing costs and effectiveness. Over time, the market pressures changed due to various influences, and that story was pretty interesting.

Later in the book, that format is dropped for a much drier survey of electricity generation, which ultimately carries us to the present day. I wonder if the WSJ reviewer who described this book as "A riveting account" failed to read past the first few chapters.