A Seattle Times selection for one of Best Non-Fiction Books of 2010Winner of the New England Historial Association's 2010 James P. Hanlan AwardWinner of the Outdoor Writers Association of America 2011 Excellence in Craft Award; Book Division; First Place"A compelling and well-annotated tale of greed; slaughter and geopolitics." —Los Angeles TimesFrom the best-selling author of Leviathan comes this sweeping narrative of one of America's most historically rich industries.As Henry Hudson sailed up the broad river that would one day bear his name; he grew concerned that his Dutch patrons would be disappointed in his failure to find the fabled route to the Orient. What became immediately apparent; however; from the Indians clad in deer skins and "good furs" was that Hudson had discovered something just as tantalizing. The news of Hudson's 1609 voyage to America ignited a fierce competition to lay claim to this uncharted continent; teeming with untapped natural resources. The result was the creation of an American fur trade; which fostered economic rivalries and fueled wars among the European powers; and later between the United States and Great Britain; as North America became a battleground for colonization and imperial aspirations. In Fur; Fortune; and Empire; best-selling author Eric Jay Dolin chronicles the rise and fall of the fur trade of old; when the rallying cry was "get the furs while they last." Beavers; sea otters; and buffalos were slaughtered; used for their precious pelts that were tailored into extravagant hats; coats; and sleigh blankets. To read Fur; Fortune; and Empire then is to understand how North America was explored; exploited; and settled; while its native Indians were alternately enriched and exploited by the trade. As Dolin demonstrates; fur; both an economic elixir and an agent of destruction; became inextricably linked to many key events in American history; including the French and Indian War; the American Revolution; and the War of 1812; as well as to the relentless pull of Manifest Destiny and the opening of the West. This work provides an international cast beyond the scope of any Hollywood epic; including Thomas Morton; the rabble-rouser who infuriated the Pilgrims by trading guns with the Indians; British explorer Captain James Cook; whose discovery in the Pacific Northwest helped launch America's China trade; Thomas Jefferson who dreamed of expanding the fur trade beyond the Mississippi; America's first multimillionaire John Jacob Astor; who built a fortune on a foundation of fur; and intrepid mountain men such as Kit Carson and Jedediah Smith; who sliced their way through an awe inspiring and unforgiving landscape; leaving behind a mythic legacy still resonates today. Concluding with the virtual extinction of the buffalo in the late 1800s; Fur; Fortune; and Empire is an epic history that brings to vivid life three hundred years of the American experience; conclusively demonstrating that the fur trade played a seminal role in creating the nation we are today. 16 pages of color and 16 pages of black-and-white illustrations
#6758157 in Books 1978 #File Name: B000IOBULQ40 pages
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