Fur, fortune, and empire: the epic history of the fur trade in America
(Book)
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.
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.
Notes
Dolin, E. J. (2010). Fur, fortune, and empire: the epic history of the fur trade in America. New York, N.Y., W.W. Norton & Co.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Dolin, Eric Jay. 2010. Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America. New York, N.Y., W.W. Norton & Co.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Dolin, Eric Jay, Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America. New York, N.Y., W.W. Norton & Co, 2010.
MLA Citation (style guide)Dolin, Eric Jay. Fur, Fortune, and Empire: The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America. New York, N.Y., W.W. Norton & Co, 2010.
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Mar 18, 2024 03:11:14 PM |
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Last File Modification Time | Mar 18, 2024 03:11:46 PM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Mar 29, 2024 02:17:20 AM |
MARC Record
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001 | ocn449865266 | ||
003 | OCoLC | ||
005 | 20100830101027.0 | ||
008 | 100423s2010 nyuabf b 001 0 eng | ||
010 | |a 2010016212 | ||
015 | |a GBB067037|2 bnb | ||
020 | |a 9780393067101 :|c $29.95 | ||
020 | |a 0393067106 :|c $29.95 | ||
035 | |a (OCoLC)449865266 | ||
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082 | 0 | 0 | |a 381/.456850973|2 22 |
082 | 0 | 4 | |a 338.37297 |
099 | |a 338.37297 D664 2010 | ||
100 | 1 | |a Dolin, Eric Jay. | |
245 | 1 | 0 | |a Fur, fortune, and empire :|b the epic history of the fur trade in America /|c Eric Jay Dolin. |
250 | |a 1st ed. | ||
260 | |a New York, N.Y. :|b W.W. Norton & Co.,|c c2010. | ||
300 | |a xvii, 442 p., [32] p. of plates :|b ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ;|c 25 cm. | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (p. [317]-411) and index. | ||
505 | 0 | |a "As fine a river as can be found" -- The precious beaver -- New Amsterdam rising -- "The Bible and the beaver" -- Competition, conflict, and chicanery -- "Many hounds are the hare's death" -- Adieu to the French -- Americans oust the British -- "A perfect golden round of profits" -- Up the Missouri -- Astoria -- Mountain men -- Taos trappers and Astor's empire -- Fall of the beaver -- The last robe -- End of an era. | |
650 | 0 | |a Fur trade|z North America|x History. | |
650 | 0 | |a Fur trade|z West (U.S.)|x History. | |
650 | 0 | |a Frontier and pioneer life|z North America. | |
650 | 0 | |a Europeans|z North America|x History. | |
650 | 0 | |a Imperialism|x History. | |
651 | 0 | |a Europe|x Colonies|z America. | |
651 | 0 | |a North America|x History. | |
651 | 0 | |a North America|x Ethnic relations. | |
651 | 0 | |a North America|x Discovery and exploration|x European. | |
651 | 0 | |a North America|x Economic conditions. | |
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