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Fur, Fortune, And Empire: The Epic History Of The Fur Trade In America (2010)

by Eric Jay Dolin(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

0393067106 (ISBN13: 9780393067101)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: I chose this book because I was intrigued by the idea of learning about the fur trade from the American perspective. As the fur trade is absolutely essential to Canada's history, and myself being a Canadian historian, I am well-versed in Canadian fur trade history. The American side of the fur trade tends to be an overlooked aspect of both American history and general fur trade history. So, I wanted to see how this book handled the task, particularly as Canadian and American fur trade history are so intertwined for much of its past. Generally the book is pretty good. There are some problems, the sources used for the first contact period and early fur trade history are very dated, which is fine if they are supplemented with more recent sources. However, many notable recent ... moreworks on the early period and general Canadian fur trade history are conspicuously absent. Also, the book is in many ways not a history of the fur trade, but a collection of stories about interesting events and people associated with the fur trade. Arguments about the fur trade's impact on American economic development could have been made more explicit. However, the book is very well-written and very entertaining. Despite its flaws, it does deliver a good account of fur trade history accessible to a wide, public and non-academic audience. More history books of this sort need to be written, history books that ordinary people might actually read. All-in-all I would say it is a success and would encourage more people to give it a read.
review 2: An excellent book, a bit dry is places but well ordered and researched, probably more about fur trade than I wanted to know. Fur trade was an important of American history and interesting to get a stronger idea of its progress. It was also interesting to see the occasional attempts to think in environmental terms by presidents and companies. It also notes the major cities that were originated by fur traders. less

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