he profiles key players including thomas jefferson and john jacob astor. eric: i remember very clearly the moment at which the idea for this book came to me. it was back in the spring of 2007. i was reading "the founding of new england." it was written in 1921. james truslow adams had a passage in there saying the "bible and the beaver" were the two mainstays of the plymouth colony in its early years. i had no idea why he had thrown the beaver into the mix. that got me curious. i quickly discovered for the better part of a decade, the main source of income for the pilgrims was trading beaver pelt with local indians and selling them in london. that got me wondering what else i didn't know about the american fur trade. i went down to my local library and started reading books about the fur trade. there was a fascinating history there that could be used to tell an equally fascinating story about american history, using the fur trade to talk about how america was transformed into a transcontinental nation. now that i have written the book, i am convinced that

he highlights key players in such as john jacob astor and thomas jefferson. i remember very clearly the moment at which the idea for this book came to me. ofwas back in the spring 2007. i was reading "the founding of new england."

he profiles key players including thomas jefferson and john jacob astor. eric: i remember very clearly the moment at which the idea for this book came to me. it was back in the spring of 2007.