Sources. Part 1 – Printed ones.

 "Though olive oil has been made for millennia, little has been written ..., and surprisingly few generally accepted truths exist, ..., about oil quality, production, nutrition, chemistry ..." wrote Tom Mueller in his book "Extra Virginity. The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil." The book was published in 2013, and since then, not much has changed.

The following very brief overview of printed sources does not claim to be complete or objective. It is my personal response, at this very moment, to the hypothetical question: "What could one read to delve deeper into the subject?" This time, we are talking only about books written in English.

Number 1 is the aforementioned "Extra Virginity. The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil" by Tom Mueller, 2013. It is a 250-page popular science detective story. Tom himself writes that the book is more about the people involved in both the bright and dark sides of the olive oil business than about the oil itself. However, through the dozens of characters in this almost marginal community, a tangible image emerges. An image that is contradictory yet distinct. And importantly, this image is almost free from intrusive marketing and national "peculiarities."

Number 2. "Olive. A Global History." by Fabrizia Lanza, 2011. It may not be entirely global, and it may have a slight Italian touch, but it is deep and interesting enough. Of course, Fabrizia is not the first to quote the Roman historian Pliny, who devoted a considerable amount of attention to olive oil in his "Natural History," AD 77. But when discussing products with such a lineage, it is simply impossible to do without a careful look into the past. "When the olive was still green and unripe, you obtained the best, most exquisite oil..."

Number 3. This is actually two editions, and they are not books. They are marketing twins - Guides to Olive Oil. “Flos Olei - A guide to the world of extra virgin olive oil”, and “EVOOLEUM - World's TOP100 Extra Virgin Olive Oils”. Although three-quarters of the volume of these impressive 400-page Italian/Spanish publications are dedicated to advertising and the results of the respective competitions, the remaining printed space presents the fundamentals of the olive oil world quite coherently and comprehensively, from the main varieties to avant-garde culinary recipes.

Moreover, these guides are perhaps not the best, but certainly, an effective way to start one's personal acquaintance with Olive Oil - to choose, buy, and try two or three different types of EVOO. "Oil talk sounds like effete nonsense until you actually put a good oil in your mouth," as said
Flavio Zaramella, one of the characters of Tom Mueller's "Extra Virginity"…