He was known to be tough, patriotic and a lifelong member of the Boy Scouts of America. But his interests, tastes and beliefs weren't known to many. 

 

Yesterday Shell CEO Ben van Buerden gave his own web address as he too works from home. 

 

Standing in front of his bookshelf van Beurden sympathised with the troubles the world is facing, promised we will all get through this together and said Shell would keep the lights on,  bowsers pumping and the gas for heating and cooking flowing. 

 

His most inspiring story was of one Shell employee, sorry "colleague", in China who walked 18 kilometres a day "to serve customers food and fuel"  (Shell couldn't at least get the poor guy a bicycle?). 

 

Shell is manufacturing hand sanitiser and medical goods, also, he said. 

 

"Let's stay together, let's stay safe, and let's stay healthy". 

 

So far, so anodyne. But looking behind him gave a glimpse into what the chief of the one of the largest IOCs reads in his spare time.

 

Fittingly for one who travels a lot, it largely seems to be smarter airport thrillers from writers who hit it big in the 1980s: Ken Follett, Robert Ludlum, Jeffrey Archer and Wilbur Smith, and Dan Brown from the late 1990s.

 

Sadly, no John Le Carre. 

 

There was a copy Land of Painted Caves by Jean M Auel, who also wrote Clan of the Cave Bear which was made into a 1986 film with Darryl Hannah. 

 

There is also a book about French cheese, a history of Berlin and a biography of Winston Churchill as well as a book on oriental art and one by famed US photographer Annie Leibovitz. 

 

Energy News spotted only one book in his native Dutch. 

 

As yet BP CEO Bernard Looney hasn't popped up in the LinkedIn comments to offer Shell help, should the Anglo Dutch oiler ever need it.

 

Possibly BP can sort Shell's committed servo attendant out with some better trasnport.  

 

* Thank you to one eagle eyed reader for pointing out the Isaac Asimov book as well.