From the famous oilpatch that spread from West Texas to New Mexico, Alaska, China, and other locales, Hubert H. Hays (1935-2005) drilled for oil. He drilled for fifty years-and he was good at it. He knew what negative 70 degrees does to casing and drill pipe. He knew what 500 degrees downhole does to affect drilling. He set records drilling gas wells and never had a blowout. Hays had a worldwide reputation that preceded him, and he probably drilled as many wells as any other man during his time. But alongside learning the ins and outs needed for such a successful five-decade career in oil, Hays came to know the eclectic cast of roughnecks that can make up a good crew. He heard about the colorful lives they led and the myriad paths oilmen take. Driller, compiled from notes and recordings by his wife Catherine and edited by Russ McAfee, tells the story of Hays's life in oil: the ups and downs, the wisdom and the difficulty of the center of our energy needs. Readers will come away with invaluable technical knowledge, colorful stories, and a clear-eyed sense of the real oilfield seen by the men who plumb the earth for energy.

The Ordos Basin: Sedimentological Research for Hydrocarbons Exploration provides an overview of sedimentological approaches used in the lacustrine Ordos Basin (but also applicable in other marine and lacustrine basins) to make hydrocarbon exploration more efficient. Oil exploration is becoming increasingly focused on tight sandstone reservoirs and shales. The development of these reservoirs, particularly regarding the sedimentary processes and the resulting sediments, are still poorly understood. Exploration and exploitation of such reservoirs requires new insights into the lateral and vertical facies changes, and as already indicated above, the knowledge surrounding facies and how they change in deep-water environments is still relatively unclear.