Merchant Kings - Hardcover

Stephen R. Bown

3.88

632 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844861147 ISBN 13: 9781844861149

Publisher: Conway, 2010

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An engaging blend of biography and economic/colonial history, Merchant Kings tells the story of the trading companies that monopolised vast territories all over the world during the first great period of globalisation. The leaders of these trading companies exercised dictatorial power over millions of people, and devoted their time and resources to the accumulation of wealth through hunting, trapping, trade and exploration. It was a harsh existence on the frontiers of the civilised world, and these kings of commerce were larger-than-life characters; adventurers as well as merchants. They included men like Peter Stuyvesant, the one-legged governor of the Dutch West India Company; Cecil Rhodes, founder of the De Beers company (and after whom Rhodesia was named); and George Simpson, the infamous 'Little Emperor' of the Hudson's Bay Company, who was chauffeured around his vast fur domain in a giant canoe, exhorting his oarsmen to paddle harder in order to set canoeing speed records. Merchant Kings examines their rise and fall in the centuries before colonialism and empire, analysing the political, social and cultural legacies of this fascinating, cut-throat age.

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Review:

"A masterful read."--"The Washington Times" "Engagingly written and refreshingly conversational, "Merchant Kings" brings a cohesion to such a large and unwieldy historical period, a period that both led directly to, and remains an integral part of, so many contemporary economic and political struggles. And he does so commendably."--"The Post and Courier """ "A chronicle perfectly relevant to our own time--and ultimately shows us that a market is free only when those who live and consume within it are protected from the powerful."--"New York Journal of Books"
"["Merchant Kings"] offers an easily digestible overview of the period and its major figures."--"The New York Times"
"Bown ably deploys biography to present the successes, costs, and legacies of an era's commingling of private money and state sovereignty."--"Booklist"
"Bown has produced a magnificent description of the six great companies, and their leaders, that dominated the 'Heroic Age of Commerce.' ... Bown presents a fascinating look at the men who exploited resources and native peoples while laying the foundations of empires. 'Neither heroes nor angels, ' Bown says, their global impact was as great as that of any king."--"Publishers Weekly "(starred review) "Bown's well-researched text brings these remarkable men to life, his eye for detail and infectious passion transporting readers through this passage in history. Battles and brawls, ruthless vision, despair, folly, grandeur are all woven into an exciting and gripping tale of men who would 'command the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself'. An excellent historical study and a very engaging read."--"Liverpool Daily Post" Praise for STEPHEN R. BOWN

"Stephen Bown has ingeniously whittled this multinational history down to vignettes of six of its more notorious figures. . . . These characters are as familiar to us as evil storybook characters, yet as foreign to contemporary business standards as Genghis Khan."

--Timothy Brook, author of "Vermeer's Hat "on "Merchant Kings"

"Stephen Bown tells a fascinating story, one that provides a very different perspective on the colonial period than that which is to be gleaned from the usual grocery list of significant events."

--The Right Honourable Paul Martin, former prime minister of Canada, on "Merchant Kings"

"[Bown]'s particularly good at penning provocative theories that link seemingly modest events to monumental changes in the course of history. . . . Bown also has a good eye for the unintended consequences, ironies, and contradictions that are the product of social and technological forces of great magnitude."

--"Publishers Weekly "on "A Most Damnable Invention"

"A spirited, stimulating account of how the cure for the feared disease was found, lost, and found again. Splendid, popular history."

--"Kirkus Reviews" on "Scurvy"

Stephen Bown has ingeniously whittled this multinational history down to vignettes of six of its more notorious figures. . . . These characters are as familiar to us as evil storybook characters, yet as foreign to contemporary business standards as Genghis Khan.--Timothy Brook, author of Vermeer s Hat on Merchant Kings"

Stephen Bown tells a fascinating story, one that provides a very different perspective on the colonial period than that which is to be gleaned from the usual grocery list of significant events.--The Right Honourable Paul Martin, former prime minister of Canada, on Merchant Kings

A masterful read. "The Washington Times"

Engagingly written and refreshingly conversational, "Merchant Kings" brings a cohesion to such a large and unwieldy historical period, a period that both led directly to, and remains an integral part of, so many contemporary economic and political struggles. And he does so commendably. "The Post and Courier"

A chronicle perfectly relevant to our own time--and ultimately shows us that a market is free only when those who live and consume within it are protected from the powerful. "New York Journal of Books"

["Merchant Kings"] offers an easily digestible overview of the period and its major figures. "The New York Times"

Bown ably deploys biography to present the successes, costs, and legacies of an era's commingling of private money and state sovereignty. "Booklist"

Bown has produced a magnificent description of the six great companies, and their leaders, that dominated the 'Heroic Age of Commerce.' ... Bown presents a fascinating look at the men who exploited resources and native peoples while laying the foundations of empires. 'Neither heroes nor angels, ' Bown says, their global impact was as great as that of any king. "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

Bown's well-researched text brings these remarkable men to life, his eye for detail and infectious passion transporting readers through this passage in history. Battles and brawls, ruthless vision, despair, folly, grandeur are all woven into an exciting and gripping tale of men who would 'command the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself'. An excellent historical study and a very engaging read. "Liverpool Daily Post"

Stephen Bown has ingeniously whittled this multinational history down to vignettes of six of its more notorious figures. . . . These characters are as familiar to us as evil storybook characters, yet as foreign to contemporary business standards as Genghis Khan. Timothy Brook, author of Vermeer s Hat on Merchant Kings

Stephen Bown tells a fascinating story, one that provides a very different perspective on the colonial period than that which is to be gleaned from the usual grocery list of significant events. The Right Honourable Paul Martin, former prime minister of Canada, on Merchant Kings

[Bown]'s particularly good at penning provocative theories that link seemingly modest events to monumental changes in the course of history. . . . Bown also has a good eye for the unintended consequences, ironies, and contradictions that are the product of social and technological forces of great magnitude. "Publishers Weekly on A Most Damnable Invention"

A spirited, stimulating account of how the cure for the feared disease was found, lost, and found again. Splendid, popular history. "Kirkus Reviews on Scurvy""

"A masterful read." --The Washington Times

"Engagingly written and refreshingly conversational, Merchant Kings brings a cohesion to such a large and unwieldy historical period, a period that both led directly to, and remains an integral part of, so many contemporary economic and political struggles. And he does so commendably." --The Post and Courier

"A chronicle perfectly relevant to our own time--and ultimately shows us that a market is free only when those who live and consume within it are protected from the powerful." --New York Journal of Books

"[Merchant Kings] offers an easily digestible overview of the period and its major figures." --The New York Times

"Bown ably deploys biography to present the successes, costs, and legacies of an era's commingling of private money and state sovereignty." --Booklist

"Bown has produced a magnificent description of the six great companies, and their leaders, that dominated the 'Heroic Age of Commerce.' ... Bown presents a fascinating look at the men who exploited resources and native peoples while laying the foundations of empires. 'Neither heroes nor angels, ' Bown says, their global impact was as great as that of any king." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Bown's well-researched text brings these remarkable men to life, his eye for detail and infectious passion transporting readers through this passage in history. Battles and brawls, ruthless vision, despair, folly, grandeur are all woven into an exciting and gripping tale of men who would 'command the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself'. An excellent historical study and a very engaging read." --Liverpool Daily Post

"Stephen Bown tells a fascinating story, one that provides a very different perspective on the colonial period than that which is to be gleaned from the usual grocery list of significant events." --The Right Honourable Paul Martin, former prime minister of Canada, on Merchant Kings

"A spirited, stimulating account of how the cure for the feared disease was found, lost, and found again. Splendid, popular history." --Kirkus Reviews on Scurvy

About the Author:

Stephen R. Bown is the author of Madness, Betrayal and the Lash: The Epic Voyage of Captain George Vancouver (2008) Scurvy (2003), published in six territories, and A Most Damnable invention: Dynamite, Nitrates and the Making of the Modern World (2005). He lives in Canmore, Alberta.'

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