Canada: An Illustrated History
New Edition 2016
From exploration and conquest to the forging of a nation, this remarkable book charts the course of Canadian history. Through more than 440 carefully selected images and an engaging text, it relates the fascinating stories of a nation in the making. Here are the events, the newsmakers, and the ordinary folk that shaped the Canadian experience.
Native peoples have lived in Canada for thousands of years. Europeans discovered this mysterious "new-found lande" when it barred a route to China. Canada An Illustrated History encompasses these early times and goes on to present a national history both wide-ranging and compelling. This innovative book not only addresses all the expected themes from the early days of exploration and settlement through Confederation to Canada's contribution to the two world wars and the rise of the Canada we know today—it also reveals many lesser-known and fascinating facets of Canadian history.
Read about Canada's first newspaper, the Halifax Gazette. Find out which Canadian bridge collapsed not once, but twice. Consider crime and punishment, firefighting, catalogue shopping, Prohibition, early aviation, and much, much more. From horrific disasters (the Halifax Explosion) to popular trends (the bicycle craze), this stunningly designed book covers both the "official" aspects of history and important social phenomena, such as immigration or the baby boom, that had an impact on almost everyone.
Here are tales of the famous, the infamous, the popular, and the unknown: the natives, the nationbuilders, the separatists, and the statesmen; the soldiers, the settlers, the rebels, and the refugees; the artists, the astronauts, the invaders, and the inventors; the motorists, the mail carriers, the fur traders, and the photographers—a myriad of individuals who shaped our country. Through its engrossing commentary and wealth of images both iconic and rare, this impressive volume conveys the drama and scope of the nation's past.
The lively and informative text is complemented by a wonderful selection of images including more than 200 photographs, 50 paintings and drawings and 35 historic maps—440 illustrations in all.
Hardcover, 12 x 91/2 inches. 288 pages, over 440 illustrations, full colour throughout. Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Winner: Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize "as the most outstanding work that contributes to an appreciation of British Columbia published this year in the opinion of the judges of the BC Book Prizes."
Winner: 2013 Inaugural Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Book on British Columbia
Winner: Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Historical Writing. (British Columbia Historical Federation)
Did you know that...
Germans landed in Canada during the Second World War
Canada was valued at a billion dollars in 1872
a new boat was demonstrated in Toronto in 1897 that rolled over the waves
up to 1930, Norway claimed a vast territory in Canada's North
the first automobile crossed the Canadian Rockies in 1904 - by driving on the rails of the Canadian Pacific
Canada once issued a 25 cent bill - and a $50,000 bill
Canada nearly had a flag with three maple leaves, not one
the first Canadian railway began running in 1836
a major Canadian bridge collapsed not once but twice
Samuel de Champlain expected to find China at the western end of the Great Lakes
it was not until 1949 that all of Canada drove on the right
the original "Red Indians" lived in Newfoundland
during the War of 1812 a cannon made in 1657 was used to defend Toronto against the Americans
it took only a hour for French Canada to fall to the British
Canada's first newspaper was the Halifax Gazette, published in 1752. It was a single sheet of paper
one of the principal French forts is today a traffic island
France imported women into Canada and then passed a law requiring men to marry them
the first transatlantic phone call was made in 1927 by radio
part of Canada is named after a brand of gin, and another after a beer
You'll know if you read:
A beautiful book from Canada's leading history publishers, Douglas & McIntyre, now available also in paperback.
Daring. Drama. Diplomacy.
How's Your Canadian History?
