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  • Fur, Fortune, and Empire

  • The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America
  • Written by: Eric Jay Dolin
  • Narrated by: Tom Weiner
  • Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (17 ratings)

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Fur, Fortune, and Empire cover art

Fur, Fortune, and Empire

Written by: Eric Jay Dolin
Narrated by: Tom Weiner
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Publisher's Summary

From the best-selling author of Leviathan comes this sweeping narrative of one of America’s most historically rich industries. Beginning his epic history in the early 1600s, Eric Jay Dolin traces the dramatic rise and fall of the American fur trade industry, from the first Dutch encounters with the Indians to the rise of the conservation movement in the late 19th century.

Dolin shows how the fur trade, driven by the demands of fashion, sparked controversy, fostered economic competition, and fueled wars among the European powers as North America became a battleground for colonization and imperial aspirations.

The trade in beaver, buffalo, sea otter, and other animal skins spurred the exploration and the settlement of the vast American continent, while it alternately enriched and gravely damaged the lives of America’s native peoples.

Populated by a larger-than-life cast, including Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant, President Thomas Jefferson, America’s first millionaire John Jacob Astor, and mountain man Kit Carson, Fur, Fortune, and Empire is the most comprehensive and compelling history of the American fur trade ever written.

©2010 Eric Jay Dolin (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What the critics say

“[An] absorbing story…Dolin, author of the acclaimed Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America, offers another good history well told.” ( Publishers Weekly)
“A delightful history, reminding readers that while noble ideals led to the settling of the United States, the fur trade paid the bills.” ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Fur, Fortune, and Empire

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