Merchant Kings recounts an era where lawless corporations conducted mergers & acquisitions with firearms & ammunition, and where private companies found themselves rulers of far flung domains. In this swashbuckling narrative, Bown tells the personal stories of six adventurers who voyaged to the far corners of the world in search of company profit and personal wealth. “Merchant Kings” is a rogue’s gallery of individuals & enterprises from the Age of Heroic Commerce who led the first period of unfettered globalization, and the societies they unscrupulously exploited to enrich shareholders’ value. Merchant Kings is also a sobering reminder of the pitfalls of unrestrained capitalism, and the detrimental effects unregulated corporations can have on the environment, societies, and ultimately people.