Part memoir and part manifesto, To Fur, with Love introduces readers to the family behind America's oldest furrier and treats them to an expert's exploration of the real meaning, value, and means of acquiring true luxury goods.

Beginning with a transatlantic journey and an unlikely friendship between a former Union solider and a young German boy on his way to the New World, this book not only chronicles the creation and growth of the legendary Mano Swartz Furs, it also documents issues of great social importance.

As author Richard Swartz details with tremendous...