Empire of the Bay: The Company of Adventurers that Seized a Continent [Paperback]

Peter C. Newman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0140299874 | ISBN-13: 978-0140299878 | Publication Date: August 1, 2000

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Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140299874
• ISBN-13: 978-0140299878
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars History as it should be written, August 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Empire of the Bay: The Company of Adventurers that Seized a Continent (Paperback)

I have waited years for these to be re-issued. This is a collection of two of the author's previous books on the HBC (Hudson's Bay Company): Company of Adventurers and Caesars of the Wilderness. It takes its title from yet another of his books, an illustrated, large format volume published several years ago. This is history told in an enthusiastic, romantic style (as opposed to a fussy, dry, academic one) so the reader is greeted not with sociological studies and boring statistics, but with tales of adventurers and Indians, French trappers tramping through northern forests, crusty Scottish traders manning lonely outposts, and of course scheming English financiers in London. I could go on. The focus is on personalities and characters. This is the way history SHOULD be written. The author shows how the settling of North America was in large part accomplished through the activities of the HBC. It is a story generally ignored by most history books (especially American ones). To my knowledge the author is the only one currently writing about the HBC. I highly recommend this book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just plain fun, July 14, 2001

By 

Nathan O (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire of the Bay: The Company of Adventurers that Seized a Continent (Paperback)

This book actually goes far beyond the Hudson Bay Company to tell the history of Western Canada. The real greatness of this book the way the author takes a topic and makes it come alive. For example, when it comes time to discuss pemmicam, the food used by the voyageurs, you get a mini-history of buffalo and how each part of the body is used. These lengthy digressions take away some of the chronological flow of the book, but they are well worth it. If you like to know what it was really like to live in a different place at a different time, this is the book for you.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written, fact-packed but lively, February 7, 2001

By 

"otto_von_blotto" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empire of the Bay: The Company of Adventurers that Seized a Continent (Paperback)

Newman escapes the traditional trap of history authors, making this book packed with facts and a lively, entertaining read at the same time. Anyone interested in HBC or Canada should read this book, as well as anyone interested in exploration, commercial development or Indian-European relationships. Many of the stories and anecdotes contained here are funny, sad or out-and-out tragic, and anyone familiar with today's corporate world will be amazed at how little things have really changed.