The western fur trade era—a time when trappers and traders endured constant danger from man, beast, and weather—was one of the most colourful periods in American history. Over a decade ago, William R. Nester wrote the first biography of Robert Campbell (1804-1879), the subsequent discovery of nearly five hundred new documents, most from two major caches of letters, led to this even-more-detailed and vivid account of Campbell's self-described "bold and dashing life”.