Emperor of the North

by James Raffan

At its height in the nineteenth century, the Hudson's Bay Company's trading territory covered three million square miles and spanned the continent. And no one person was more responsible for its success than its larger-than-life governor, the remarkable George Simpson. The illegitimate son of a ne'er-do-well Scottish lawyer, Simpson was a master planner who laid the foundations for the greatest business enterprise of its day, a pompous dandy who was most at home in a canoe, and a man who, while ashamed of his out-of-wedlock birth, sired at least thirteen children with eight different women.

A wide cast of characters strides through the pages of this gripping story-frontier entrepreneurs, hardy voyageurs, skilled native trappers, intrepid explorers, impoverished settlers, and lords and ladies of the realm-and George Simpson was at home with all of them. The history of the Bay is that of a country in the making, but it is also a history of the clash between different ways of life in a vast, sparsely populated land far from the crowded cities, counting-houses and imperial ambitions of the British Empire.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Canada

496 pages, Paperback

First published December 22, 2005

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Simpson, subject of this biography and one of the chiefest governors of the venerable Hudson's Bay Company over its history, was not a nice man. He is an unsympathetic character and that makes a book about him a particular challenge to read, and I imagine to write as well.

Simpson was inarguably of stout heart, circumnavigating the globe at a time when it was certainly no joke, and spending much of his career in the backwoods of Canada, managing the difficult personalities that must surely have made up the bulk of the region's fur trapping workforce.

Author James Raffan describes how he was inspired to write about George Simpson after learning about his record setting canoe trip across Canada, which still stands today. I rather think Raffan found himself a little disappointed after embarking on the book, finding more and more evidence that Simpson was simply not a very nice guy, and only a marginally interesting one too.

Simpson was born in Scotland and after an apprenticeship in London went on to Canada to run the HBC there. Much of his motivation seems to have been derived from the enormous chip on his shoulder, born neither rich nor into a landed family. He is described as at best a pragmatist, who treated native peoples in a manner nearing decency because it suited his purposes. At worst, we learn he was a chronic adulterer, largely friendless, and may have engineered a murder out of spite.

As for the writing, I found the prose often tends to swing from conjecture and rumination to long, dazzlingly dense bouts of information, depending presumably on the presence of decent source material. Periodically Raffan hits upon an entertaining balance and those sections definitely are highlights.

This is not a book I would recommend in particular unless the reader has specific interest in the HBC and Canadian frontier history.

[Ronald Kelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always felt that one of the greatest mysteries in Canadian history is how is it possible that one of George Simpson's voyageurs never threw the bastard overboard and held him underwater until he drowned. George Simpson is easily one of the most despicable men in Canadian history; he destroyed careers on a whim, he was racist and chauvinistic, he used and abused women - having his way with them and essentially abandoning them once they became problematic or a new pretty young thing drifted by. All despicable, but Simpson is also one of the most influential people in Canadian history. Historians try to be objective and balanced. Raffan does not try to make Simpson seem likable, it would be an impossible task, but he does very clearly demonstrate his deeds that were foundational to the eventual establishment of Canada. In this the book is successful. The book is exciting at times, befitting the era it is about, but it also has a tendency to become plodding on occasion, focusing too much on extraneous details. Other points are barely discussed, such as Simpson's round-the-world trip, which gets its own foldout map, but only about half a chapter of text. Raffan also falls into a trap that plagues many authors of popular history. He frequently replicates entire documents and passages from primary sources. The book would be better served by selectively quoting key passages and putting them in their context. All that said, the book is a reasonably accessible volume for people who want to know about George Simpson, the history of the Hudson's Bay Company and the fur trade, and their place in Canadian history.

[Miss · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horribly written. There are so many paragraph-long sentences that it makes reading nearly impossible. I would have given up after the second chapter if I hadn't had to read it for a course. The language is intense and convoluted and the author uses too many archaic words. I had to keep running to the dictionary. I don't recommend it at all.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting ... but a bit of a slog for me. I do like history. But this book had a lot of minutae: text of correspondences; text of memoirs; meeting minutes and more.

That said, I did learn a lot about the HBC's role as defacto police or at least representatives of the government (of Britain) during the years just before confederation. Simpson's role in the Selkirk settlement and elsewhere in the west was interesting.

For HBC history fans this is a must read. I had to work at it.

[Della · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. It was interesting to learn how the Hudson's Bay Company came to be and and all the characters who were involved. Yes, there were a few dry areas but like history itself, not every day can be full of adventure and thrills. It is evident that Sir George did not treat all those who were not white or male with respect and civility but it was a different world two hundred years ago.

[David Cavaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating look into Sir George Simpson who oversaw the Hudson's Bay Company during the apogee of the fur trade in Rupert's Land in the 19th century Canada. Simpson was a larger than life figure who traveled along North America's rivers and established relationships with Indigenous peoples. Great book with great photos. Take-away was that if not for the genius and fortitude of this little emperor today's version of Canada might not have been a country from sea to shining sea.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read although at times when quoting directly from Sir George's journals I really had to slow down and read carefully to decipher what was written. Learned a lot about the early history of Rupert's Land, before Canada was Canada.

[Jason Palmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Debra Komar · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Simpson is arguably one of the great villains in Canadian history. That said, most of the previous biographies have glorified Simpson, downplaying his narcissism and trumpeting his contributions.

Raffan is not the least bit afraid to show Simpson's warts, failings and true character. Simpson was a jerk, and the act of dying did not absolve him of that. Raffan gives a fair and balanced portrait of a difficult personality. We meet Simpson in all his ridiculous delusion and yet still can come away liking the little emperor.

Raffan has done his homework, finding little known snippets of Simpson's life. The focus here is on Simpson's remarkable feats of travel at a time when canoes were the only real means of getting around. Simpson didn't do any of the paddling but the accomplishment stands never the less.

Simpson's contributions to Canadian history are questionable, and I don't think we should be putting him on a stamp just yet, but Raffan should be applauded for making him human.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Sir George Simpson, an illegitimate Scott bastard who rose against the odds to the governorship of the Hudson Bay Company, effectively ruling over an area 10 times the size of the Roman Empire and covering one 12th of the worlds land surface. This pugnacious go-getter holds the record for the longest North American canoe trip ever completed in a single season, and steered the Hudson Bay Company to profitability and dominance in the face of pressures by rival companies, the Americans, the Russians and First Nations. Certainly Simpson was a flawed individual, with some scandals to his name, but he has a prominent position in Canadian history and Raffan's book does a good job of capturing the man.

[George Hodgson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Simpson was a brilliant, practical and flawed man. While he did much to build the HBC and was instrumental in setting the table for the birth of Canada, his treatment of aboriginal folks particularly women was abysmal. Raffan manages to present his greatness along with his flaws in a balanced way.

[Liz Huff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raffan is a beautiful writer. Elegant language, inspirational tales, and terrific research. It was a great way to learn more about the remarkable 'opening up' of Canada, the interplay between first peoples and 'interlopers', and the significance of the canoe in everything about us!

[Madeleine McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about George Simpson before I read this book. He's an interesting, if somewhat sinister, personality in Canadian history. This is also a great history of the Hudson's Bay Company. A great read.

[Ted Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read in spite of many quotes from original sources that can get ponderous. This gives an amazing portrait of a remarkable career and fleshes out part of our history. I enjoyed it.

[Francie Shoemaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

What's with the cover, it doesn't match the title I'm looking for?

[Andre Rochon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, well written. Slow at the beginning, but gets much better.