Methyl benzoate is a particularly simple and important organic compound. We are thus not prepared for the "discovery" that there are three relatively recent literature determinations of its enthalpy of formation that span a 15 kJ mol-1 range. The current study provides yet another, more reliable, measurement of the energy of combustion of this species, -3956.7 ± 3.1 kJ mol-1. Joined with one obtained from the literature a weighted average value for the enthalpy of formation in liquid phase for methyl benzoate can be given as ΔfHm°(l) = -332.8 ± 4.0 kJ mol-1 Combined with a literature suggested value for the enthalpy of vaporization we obtain the standard molar enthalpy of formation of methyl benzoate in gaseous state, ΔfHm°(g) = -276.1 ± 4.0 kJ mol-1. Confident of this new value, we reconcile a disconcerting disparity in the energetics of other methyl benzenecarboxylates discussed in the recent literature.