Astoria

In 'Astoria,' Peter Stark tells the story of John Jacob Astor's ambitious expedition (1810–1813) to establish a fur-trading empire on the North American Pacific coast and the hardships faced by its participants.

Stark follows the planners and the two-pronged expedition—overland and maritime—charting disaster, survival, and the geopolitical stakes between the United States, Britain, and Native peoples.

Drawing on journals and firsthand accounts, the book recreates the experience of exploration and the often brutal conditions that shaped its outcomes.

Stark emphasizes how ambition, miscalculation, and the wilderness itself altered the expedition's plans and legacies.

The narrative situates the endeavor within early American expansionism and the global fur trade, offering readers a dramatic account of exploration and survival.