The boundaries of Canada as we know them today cannot be understood without discussing the influence of the Hudson’s Bay Company. Given that the HBC’s territory once covered one-twelfth of the world’s land, the company played an undeniably integral part in creating a country that stretches from sea to sea to sea. And as James Raffan argues in Emperor of the North, the HBC would not have thrived during this period without the leadership of George Simpson.

Raffan, author of numerous books on the Canadian wilderness and curator of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, has done an admirable job of recreating, from scattered sources, the life of this enigmatic man – from Simpson’s illegitimate birth in Scotland to his 40-year tenure as governor of the HBC. Simpson led the company through its amalgamation with the North West Company, reorganized the venture to make it profitable, and ensured British control of western and northern Canada by negotiating with Americans, First Nations, and Russians in the area.

This should all make for a fascinating character study of a man who, according to Raffan, “should be counted among Canada’s founding fathers.” Unfortunately, several aspects of the book make it a plodding read. Primary documents are reproduced in full, seriously impeding the flow of the story. The lack of maps makes it very difficult to follow the geography of Rupert’s Land, an area that is a key element in the narrative. And finally, there is far too much foreshadowing: in the space of one page, we meet Simpson’s wife, find out that her life will be miserable, and learn when, where, and how she will die; this woman’s role in the tale ends before it starts.   

The most compelling section in this story is the afterword, where Raffan simply sums up who Simpson was and why we should recognize him as an important personage in Canadian history. If this straightforward style had been used throughout the book, this would have been a much more enjoyable and enlightening reading experience.