This is the story of a man born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who became one of the most powerful forces in international trade in the nineteenth century.

Samuel Cunard’s list of interests reads like a history of the Maritimes-shipbuilding in chatham, coal mining in Cape Breton, forestry in PEI, and warehouses in Halifax. But his business acumen and vision extended far beyond Eastern Canada: His innovative steamship Britannia was the first reliable, timely link between the Old World and the New, and the transatlantic transportation of mail, goods, and passengers was revolutionized. The continued success of the Cunard Line is a testament to Samuel Cunard’s brilliance as both a mariner and a businessman.

The first full-length biography of one of the most fascinating figures in mercantile history, Steam Lion is an important and engaging record of a man, his business, and his times.