Seward S Folly

The Alaska Purchase—denounced at the time as “Seward’s Folly” but now seen as a masterstroke—is well known in American history. But few know the rest of the story. This book aims to correct that. Lee Farrow offers here a detailed account of just what the Alaska Purchase was, how it came about, its impact at the time, and more. Farrow shows why both America and Russia had plenty of good reasons to want the sale to occur, including Russia’s desire to let go of an unprofitable, hard-to-manage colony and the belief in the United States that securing Alaska could help the nation gain control of British Columbia and generate closer trade ties with Asia . Farrow also delves into the implications of the deal for foreign policy and international diplomacy far beyond Russia and the United States at a moment when the global balance of power was in question. A thorough, readable retelling of a story we only think we know, Seward’s Folly will become the standard book on the Alaska Purchase.

In 1867, United States Secretary of State William Seward purchased Alaska from Russia. It was called "Seward's Folly" because Alaska was thought to be a frozen wasteland. Discover the circumstances and geopolitical effects of the Alaska purchase in Seward's Folly and Alaska.

Examines Secretary of State William Seward's controversial but successful efforts to purchase Alaska from Russia for the United States in 1867.

Dramatic and defining moments in American history come vividly the life in the Cornerstones of Freedom series.

Historical novel of the intrigues behind the purchase of Alaska from Russia.

Presents a profile of the leader of Lincoln's "team of rivals," examining the many political roles he had in his lifetime, including governor of New York, Secretary of State, and Lincoln's closest advisor during the Civil War.

International intrigue on the eve of the birth of a nation at Britain’s Highclere Castle, aka Downton Abbey. In late 1866, John A. Macdonald and other Fathers of Confederation arrived in London to begin discussions with Britain to create Canada. Macdonald and two of his colleagues stayed briefly at Highclere Castle in Hampshire, the stately home of the Fourth Earl of Carnarvon, Britain’s colonial secretary. Those are the facts. Today Highclere Castle is widely known as the real-life location for the popular television series Downton Abbey. In Richard Rohmer’s novel, Macdonald talks with Carnarvon at Highclere about legislation to give Canada autonomy, the danger of Irish Fenian assassination plots, and the proposed American purchase of Alaska from Russia. Later, back in London, a fire partially destroys Macdonald’s hotel room, and the future prime minister, trying to curb his fondness for alcohol, woos and marries his second wife, Agnes. In the end, Macdonald wins the passage of the British North America Act but fails in his bid for Alaska when U.S. Secretary of State William Seward buys that strategic territory. Secret deals, romance, and international intrigue all figure in this rousing tale of historical speculation set on the eve of the birth of a nation.