At its height, the HBC's holdings covered almost a tenth of the world's land surface, stretching from the Arctic Ocean across the Prairies and the Rocky Mountains to British Columbia and Oregon. When the upstart North West Company of Montreal challenged the HBC supremacy, however, an ongoing battle erupted which changed the course of Canadian history.University of Manitoba historian J. M. (Jack) Bumsted has written a colourful, in-depth account of this titanic struggle. Combining astute scholarship with an accessible writing style, Bumsted's Fur Trade Wars brings to life the dramatic events and memorable characters that helped shape a nation.