Fascinating. Mr. Newman has done an amazing amount of research and has written a totally engaging history of the Hudson's Bay Company....which, in many ways, is also a history of Canada. There is so much detail here, but it is never boring. There are also lots of interesting facts, such as how fire water got its name; a U.S. bill to annex Canada that was never implemented; how the approaches of the HBC and the Northwest Company differed....

I especially loved the epilogue. These last six pages were so moving that I read them to my husband -- they speak directly to the Canadian soul. ( )