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Merchant Kings (2009)

by Stephen R. Bown(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1553653424 (ISBN13: 9781553653424)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Thomas Dunne Books

review 1: In this somewhat brief overview of mercantilism during the 17th,18th and 19th centuries Brown focuses in on the six leading figures of the six most dominant merchant companies of this period. He tells the story of Jan Coen of the Dutch East India Company, Pieter Stuyvesant and the Dutch West India Company, Sir Robert Clive of the English East India Company, Aleksandr Baranov of the Russian American Company, Sir George Simpson of the Hudson’s Bay Company, and Cecil Rhodes of the British South Africa Company. If you are like me and have an interest in history but are unsure if you’ve actually ever heard of these people, it’s okay. There’s a reason for that. If you do know of them and their legacy then this book is probably not for you. It’s meant as an introduction... more. Most, if not all, of these men left behind legacies that, at the time, lauded them as champions of imperialism and in some cases heroes in their native countries. As the modern era has progressed however most of these men have largely been forgotten, outside of academic circles at least, as the means by which they gained their status during their lifetime was far more than merely unsavory. Jan Coen was horrifically brutal to the natives as well as rivals in the spice islands. Pieter Stuyvesant was a harsh company man who had little feeling for concerns that didn’t directly contribute to increasing the bottom line for shareholders. Perhaps the only man who’s redeeming qualities stands out is Aleksandr Baranov. Although at times strict and harsh, he stands out as one of the few men of his time who was willing to contribute personal expenses for the betterment of others. All in all, the book was well written but lacked much depth as it is difficult to cover such a large swath of history in less than 300 pages. I was left wanting more detail. Large chunks of time are skipped and therefore it often seems that the end result is merely fed to you without proper lead up to how it actually have happened. Brown admits that the topic of this book is not within his specific area and perhaps that benefits the reader when all they are looking for is an introduction to the subject. I tend towards the seemingly insignificant details which make a book more colorful and help shape the character’s personality, especially when reading history.
review 2: I am getting into history and thought that the book provide mediocre, wrote, insight on situations at the respective conquistador's time. It was written to a more fluid textbook with information being loaded onto pages versus providing a more analytical approach to what was happening and why. Again, just getting into history and perhaps books are written as such. Breeze right through it in a day. less

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