Love, oil and the fortunes of war / Paul Harris.

World War I is imminent. The British Navy, the largest in the world, is for the first time in a century under serious threat. Luckily, fate is ready to play its part. So when the lives of three very different characters converge, the course of World War I -- and history -- are, luckily, transformed. The eccentric female archaeologist Gertrude Bell explores Persia. The charismatic Englishman Jackie Fisher is Admiral of the Fleet and battles to convince the Navy to modernise. And William D'Arcy, a determined Queensland businessman founds the Persian oil industry. The interactions of these extraordinary personalities shine a light on one of the most dramatic periods of the twentieth century. Set in Australia, the Middle East and England, this rollicking tale reveals how the achievements of a few -- and more than a touch of serendipity -- lead to the British Navy switching their fleet from coal to oil, from standard battleships to dreadnoughts, and so winning WWI.