author
Nathaniel C. (Nathaniel Claiborne) Hale
1903–1948
A West Point graduate, Army officer, and mid-20th-century historian, he wrote lively works on early America that turn subjects like the fur trade and colonial conflict into readable narrative history.
1 Audiobook
Pelts and palisades: The story of fur and the rivalry for pelts in early America
by Nathaniel C. (Nathaniel Claiborne) Hale
About the author
Nathaniel Claiborne Hale was an American writer and historian born in 1903. Contemporary book notes identify him as a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1925 who served in the Army, later returned to military duty during World War II, and eventually became known for writing popular history.
His books focused on early American subjects, especially the colonial period. Among the works associated with him are Pelts and Palisades: The Story of Fur and the Rivalry for Pelts in Early America, Virginia Venturer, The American Colonial Wars, and the privately published family history Roots in Virginia.
Some catalogs list his life dates as 1903–1948, while at least one family-history record gives a later death year, so the exact date of his death is not fully clear from the sources reviewed here. What does come through clearly is his interest in American beginnings and his talent for presenting historical research in an accessible, story-driven way.