"Fur Trade & Exploration" by Theodore Karamanski focuses on the opening of the FAR northwest of Canada.  It describes the discoveries & explorations of the various remote river systems (beaver pelt highways), the troubles of maintaining an extended supply chain, and diplomatic relations with the various powers vying for economic control of the region.  

I would classify this book as more of a "rigorous" scholarly account versus a "popular" history, although I DID find it fairly readable (this guy doesn't quite have the flair of a Peter C. Newman for finding the human interest stuff).  However, it is still somewhat colorful and, to his credit, TK actually spent quite a bit of time researching the explorer routes he describes IN PERSON via canoe.  That raises his credibility considerably, IMHO.  This is a very solid "history".  When HE talks about a river encounter happening "on the banks of poplar and willow" or of various hazardous waterfalls, etc., he knows whereof he speaks!

There are some good pics & illustrations in the book, too.

This book is likely to appeal to the more die-hard historians and geographers among us.

Jimbo   8-)