Fur, Fortune, and Empire

The Epic History of the Fur Trade in America

By: Eric Jay Dolin

Narrated by: Tom Weiner

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

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.

Critic reviews

“[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)

Great book!!

Really a great source of info on the mountain man and history of the fur trade from the 1600s to the late 1800’s

Very well written

Interesting in many ways, great story which coincides with American founding. Read this book, it’s very well written.

Great Coverage

Excellent background information on why and how the many countries sent men over to participate in the fur trade. Motivations are explained for countries, Indians & individuals on why the fur trade business made great business sense and then what it became by the corrupting influences.

Starts a little slow, but…

…gradually gained momentum until, as the author promised, he leaves us (wanting more) on the precipice of Teddy Roosevelt. Most refreshing is the author’s refusal to digress into a politically correct ethnic or environmental tirade. Clearly plenty of terrible repercussions from the fur trade…(and he doesn’t ignore the same)…yet he is not out to catalogue villainies or apportion blame. He relates history in an evenhanded and fair manner and is rarely sidetracked by virtue signaling.

A stich that holds it together.

A great story that connects many seemingly unconnected stories of American origins. The who, what and why that underlined American settlement through global politics. insightful introduction to environmentalism and figures of developing a continent.

Great book

While I had already knew the fur trade was big business, I had no idea how much of an impact it had.

Nicely Done!

Dolin offers a well researched book on a topic few would dare tackle. A bit of a "dry" narration buy well worth the listen.

Fur trade

Very thorough explanation of the progression and events of the fur trade, a large reason behind the early success of the new world.

Swift and thorough

There is something refreshingly succinct yet extensive about this book that offers a very rare insight about this specific niche. It became an insight into America’s emotional formation as a country of trade amongst many other unexpected aspects that are tied to the fur trade… the narration is excellent and it might take a new listener some time to yield to its style, but this narrator KEEPS IT MOVING BABY yass and thus, it keeps a mundane topic like fur trade quite fresh and almost business like… felt like a giant meditation listening to this, and I feel like I gained some sort of occult Americana knowledge as a result

Oscillates between interesting and dull.

This book starts out great, then gets very boring, then finishes on a interesting note. I had High Hopes a couple chapters in. I particularly liked that he did a little bit of a deep dive on beaver themselves. Soon after it gets very heavy on information, feeling almost academic. He trudged through a lot of facts, then it gets quite interesting again with the mountain men.
I’m glad I powered through the full chapters, as I got some very interesting nuggets, but certain chapters were a bit of a chore.