Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America
A Seattle Times selection for one of Best Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Winner of the New England Historial Association's 2010 James P. Hanlan Award
Winner 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 Times
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.
Colonies
Compact discs
Discovery and exploration
Economic conditions
Ethnic relations
Europe/America -- Colonies -- America
European
Europeans
Europeans -- North America -- History
Frontier and pioneer life
Frontier and pioneer life -- North America
Fur trade
Fur trade -- North America -- History
Fur trade -- West (U.S.) -- History
History
Imperialism
Imperialism -- History
Nonfiction
North America -- Discovery and exploration -- European
North America -- Economic conditions
North America -- Ethnic relations
North America -- History
9780393079241
9781982424503
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | e9bcdbce-48a8-3d8c-d75e-86bde0fed1bf |
---|---|
Grouping Title | fur fortune and empire the epic history of the fur trade in america |
Grouping Author | eric jay dolin |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2023-03-22 02:08:38AM |
Last Indexed | 2023-03-22 02:45:19AM |
Solr Fields
Weiner, Tom
Weiner, Tom.|Narrator
hoopla digital
A Seattle Times selection for one of Best Non-Fiction Books of 2010
Winner of the New England Historial Association's 2010 James P. Hanlan Award
Winner 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 Times
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.
eAudiobook
eBook
eBook
9781441760623
9781982424503
2011
Blackstone Publishing
W. W. Norton & Company
Compact discs
Europe/America -- Colonies -- America
Europeans -- North America -- History
Frontier and pioneer life -- North America
Fur trade -- North America -- History
Fur trade -- West (U.S.) -- History
Imperialism -- History
North America -- Discovery and exploration -- European
North America -- Economic conditions
North America -- Ethnic relations
North America -- History
Fur, fortune, and empire : the epic history of the fur trade in America [electronic resource] Dolin, Eric Jay.
Fur, fortune, and empire [sound recording] : the epic history of the fur trade in America / Eric Jay Dolin
Colonies
Discovery and exploration
Economic conditions
Ethnic relations
European
Europeans
Frontier and pioneer life
Fur trade
History
Imperialism
Nonfiction
Solr Details Tables
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hoopla:MWT12396892 | Online Hoopla Collection | Online Hoopla | eAudiobook | Audio Books | 1 | false | true | Hoopla | https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/12396892?utm_source=MARC | Available Online | |||
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record_details
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ils:.b20415680 | CD Audiobook | Audio Books | Unabridged | English | Blackstone Audio | p2010 | 10 sound discs (12 hr.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in. |
scoping_details_catalog
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hoopla:MWT12396892 | Available Online | Available Online | false | true | false | false | false | false | ||||
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