The Fur Trade of the American West: A Geographical Synthesis [Paperback]

David J. Wishart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1992

"In stressing the exploitation and destruction of the physical and human environment rather than the usual frontier romanticism, David Wishart has provided for students of the trans-Mississippi fur trade a valuable service."-Journal of the Early Republic. A standard reference work [that] should be required reading for all students of the American west."-Pacific Historical Review. "The whole [fur trade] system is traced out from the Green River rendezvous or the Fort Union post to the trading houses of St. Louis and the auctions in New York and Europe. Such factors as capital formation, shifting commercial institutions, the role of advanced market information, and the nature, kinds, costs, and speed of transportation are all worked into the story, as is the relationship of the whole fur trade to national and international business cycles. This is an impressive achievement for a book so brief. . . . [It] opens out onto new methodological vistas and paradigms in western history."-William H. Goetzmann, New Mexico Historical Review David J. Wishart is a professor of geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the winner of the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize for distinguished books in American geography, sponsored by the Association of American Geographers for An Unspeakable Sadness: The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians, also available in a Bison Books edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David J. Wishart is a professor of geography at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is the winner of the John Brinckerhoff Jackson Prize for distinguished books in American geography, sponsored by the Association of American Geographers for An Unspeakable Sadness: The Dispossession of the Nebraska Indians, also available in a Bison Books edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803297327
• ISBN-13: 978-0803297326
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,303,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good introduction to the fur trade, July 25, 2005

By 

Tim Martin (South Bend, Indiana United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fur Trade of the American West: A Geographical Synthesis (Paperback)

Mr. Wishart provides an excellent introduction the Fur Trade. This book provides an overview of the Fur Trade and a thorough explanation of the different types of fur trading systems that existed during the early part of the nineteenth century.

As the subtitle of the book indicates, Mr. Wishart spends a fair amount of time providing the geographical background of the Rockies and the river systems that flow out of mountains. The book is generously provided with maps. These maps help to provide clarity to the subject at hand and also greatly increase the reader's understanding of how and why the fur trade developed.

I really don't have any quibbles with this book---except that I wished it was longer! The chapters are extensively footnoted and there is a very good bibliography. If you are looking for an introduction to the fur trade, I would greatly recommend this book!

2 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Fur Trade of the AMerican WEst 1807-1840, November 29, 2001

By 

Cherry Claire G. Mina (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fur Trade of the American West: A Geographical Synthesis (Paperback)

it explains the fur trade of the american west