Henry Klassen’s biography, “Luther H. Holton: A Founding Canadian Entrepreneur” represents an effort to capture the life and times of a leading Canadian businessman and “backroom” political figure of the mid-nineteenth century. As it is a biography, the text does not argue any specific thesis. Rather, as this review will argue, Klassen’s interest in Holton is as a sort of an iconic Canadian businessman; a central figure of his era and a model for succeeding eras.