Fur Trade in America: The Epic History

The American fur trade, which was fueled by fierce economic rivalries and wars among the European powers and later between the United States and Great Britain, has been chronicled in the best-selling book "Fur, Fortune, and Empire" by Eric Jay Dolin. This work provides an international cast beyond the scope of any Hollywood epic, exploring how the pursuit of fur, both an economic elixir and an agent of destruction, became inextricably linked to many key events in American history.

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. However, what became immediately apparent from the Indians clad in deer skins and "good furs" was that Hudson had discovered something just as tantalizing – the news of his 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, as North America became a battleground for colonization and imperial aspirations. 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" is to understand how North America was explored, exploited, and settled, while its native Indians were alternately enriched and exploited by the trade.

The book features an international cast of characters, 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 that 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. The book has been recognized for its excellence, winning the New England Historical Association's 2010 James P. Hanlan Award and the Outdoor Writers Association of America's 2011 Excellence in Craft Award, Book Division, First Place.

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