This is the fascinating story of the French regime in Canada.
Few periods in the history of North America can equal it for romance and color, drama and suspense, great human courage and far-seeing aspiration. Costain, who writes history in the terms of the people who lived it, wrote of this "Almost from the first I found myself caught in the spell of these courageous, colorful, cruel days. But whenever I found myself guilty of overstressing the romantic side of the picture and forgetful of the more prosaic life beneath, I tried to balance the scales more properly. [This] is . . . a conscientious effort at a balanced picture of a period which was brave, bizarre, fanatical, lyrical, lusty, and, in fact, rather completely unbalanced."
Costain was born in Brantford, Ontario to John Herbert Costain and Mary Schultz. He attended high school there at the Brantford Collegiate Institute. Before graduating from high school he had written four novels, one of which was a 70,000 word romance about Maurice of Nassau, Prince of Orange. These early novels were rejected by publishers.
His first writing success came in 1902 when the Brantford Courier accepted a mystery story from him, and he became a reporter there (for five dollars a week). He was an editor at the Guelph Daily Mercury between 1908 and 1910. He married Ida Randolph Spragge (1888–1975) in York, Ontario on January 12, 1910. The couple had two children, Molly (Mrs. Howard Haycraft) and Dora (Mrs. Henry Darlington Steinmetz). Also in 1910, Costain joined the Maclean Publishing Group where he edited three trade journals. Beginning in 1914, he was a staff writer for and, from 1917, editor of Toronto-based Maclean's magazine. His success there brought him to the attention of The Saturday Evening Post in New York City where he was fiction editor for fourteen years.
In 1920 he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He also worked for Doubleday Books as an editor 1939-1946. He was the head of 20th Century Fox’s bureau of literary development (story department) from 1934 to 1942.
In 1940, he wrote four short novels but was “enough of an editor not to send them out”. He next planned to write six books in a series he called “The Stepchildren of History”. He would write about six interesting but unknown historical figures. For his first, he wrote about the seventeenth-century pirate John Ward aka Jack Ward. In 1942, he realized his longtime dream when this first novel For My Great Folly was published, and it became a bestseller with over 132,000 copies sold. The New York Times reviewer stated at the end of the review "there will be no romantic-adventure lover left unsatisfied." In January 1946 he "retired" to spend the rest of his life writing, at a rate of about 3,000 words a day.
Raised as a Baptist, he was reported in the 1953 Current Biography to be an attendant of the Protestant Episcopal Church. He was described as a handsome, tall, broad-shouldered man with a pink and white complexion, clear blue eyes, and a slight Canadian accent. He was white-haired by the time he began to write novels. He loved animals and could not even kill a bug (but he also loved bridge, and he did not extend the same policy to his partners). He also loved movies and the theatre (he met his future wife when she was performing Ruth in the The Pirates of Penzance).
Costain's work is a mixture of commercial history (such as The White and The Gold, a history of New France to around 1720) and fiction that relies heavily on historic events (one review stated it was hard to tell where history leaves off and apocrypha begins). His most popular novel was The Black Rose (1945), centred in the time and actions of Bayan of the Baarin also known as Bayan of the Hundred Eyes. Costain noted in his foreword that he initially intended the book to be about Bayan and Edward I, but became caught up in the legend of Thomas a Becket's parents: an English knight married to an Eastern girl. The book was a selection of the Literary Guild with a first printing of 650,000 copies and sold over two million copies in its first year.
His research led him to believe that Richard III was a great monarch tarred by conspiracies, after his death, with the murder of the princes in the tower. Costain supported his theories with documentation, suggesting that the real murderer was Henry VII.
Costain died in 1965 at his New York City home of a heart attack at the age of 80. He is buried in the Farringdon Independent Church Cemetery in Brantford.
I picked this up when there was a Kindle sale on Thomas Costain books a bit ago. I hadn't been aware of him writing a series on Canada, and it turns out the reason is he didn't. This is the first book in a six-book series, but each volume was written by a different author. More surprising, this wasn't an arrangement that the publisher put together, like with the Oxford History of Europe, but one the authors themselves put together, being Canadians who felt a need for such a history series.
In general, this is up to Costain's usual quality (I certainly recommend his history of the Plantagenets) of writing and creating a digestible narrative history. However, this is originally a 1954 book, and shows a few problems. First, this pretty much all from the colonial settler's point of view. Given the time and knowledge available to him this isn't too bad, and he takes time at one point to fairly graphically show that the colonists were capable of atrocities every bit as bad as anything the Native Americans did. However, there's a fair amount of stereotyping here, and, much worse, on two occasions he has recourse to phrenology.
Outside of those concerns, there's other things I consider weaknesses, mostly because I'd like some details outside his narrative. Costain starts with some of the initial exploration of the North American coast by Cabot et al, and by the time settlement of the area begins there's already fishing off the Grand Banks going on, but he doesn't mention how that got going (or by whom).
This just on the early French regime in Canada, and covers up to about 1690, which is certainly not something I have any real knowledge of. So, it was still reasonably informative, though I never got as cohesive an impression as would have like (extremely sketchy geographical knowledge of the area on my end does not help). Overall, I only give it a limited recommendation, and a more current book on the subject would probably be preferred.
There is nothing left out of the early history of Canadian settlement. My problem with the book is it deal too much with the minutiae and the "little people" and I just couldn't keep up. The book is ssssooooo long. I realized I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about Canada.
This is the first book in a six-volume set that has occupied a space in my library since 1970. Early on, having less free time than I do today, I browsed each volume but never undertook to read them completely. I've now decided to work my way through the entire set,. which may take several years, both to fill in many gaps in my knowledge of my own country's history, and as a periodic change from my usual fare, which tends to be dominated by fiction and current affairs. Re-reading this history some 50 years after it was first published, it does not hold up well; it’s far from being Costain’s best work. When his dozen historical novels and his histories of the Plantagenets were first published, his easy style became comfortably familiar to me. Several of his books — such as Below the Salt — remain old favorites today. But our views of the world have changed quite a lot since the 1970s; his straightforward account of historical figures and events now seems badly colored by his attitudes toward the aboriginal peoples. His commentaries on the deeds and misdeeds of European adventurers (and their backers, focused only on profit) are even handed and easily verifiable from other historical records; but there is no doubt that the prevailing attitudes of Costain’s day influenced his account of the character and behavior of the natives. Whether what he wrote about them was entirely accurate cannot be independently verified, since the explorers and early settlers provided the only written accounts of events. Aboriginal authorities today would doubtless take issue with Costain’s version of events. And his reliance on phrenology jarringly limits his credibility. Costain failed to grasp the true impact of the “gifts” of the white man: his guns, his economics, his whiskey, his diseases, even his religion. The guns that helped to decimate the wildlife that formerly sustained the people. The trader economics that transformed a sustainable hunter economy into a fur trapper economy and then abandoned the trappers to starvation when the fur market disappeared. The whiskey that addled the brains and destroyed the health of some of the hardiest, most competent, most resourceful people on earth. The diseases that wiped out entire communities and left the people dependent on medical care that never arrived in the far-flung settlements. The religion that robbed a people of their spiritual unity with the land and the natural world in favor of a set of foreign rules and restrictions on a lifestyle that had sustained them for many centuries. And the aboriginal nations surely had enough conflicts of their own without being dragged into Europen wars that were imported onto Canadian soil. In fairness, however, I must acknowledge that few of today’s historians are addressing those issues much better than Costain did 50+ years ago. Despite all of that, this is a very useful account of the earliest days of European settlement in what became Canada. Costain, being a commercially oriented writer rather than an academic, mercifully eschewed the tedium that afflicts so many scholarly historical tomes. He understood the need to make his work readable; he sought to capture the adventure of events and the colorful character of the leading figures, many of whom were truly exceptional men and women. The boldness and brilliance of a Champlain deserves telling about; and it makes for interesting reading, even for those of us who may already know much of the story. It can be argued that the short period covered in this volume — a mere 81 years — from Champlain’s founding of a first settlement at Quebec until the beginning of the open wars between England and France in North America, was one of the most exciting and colorful in Canadian history. It was a time of high adventure, where a number of remarkable men and women undertook enormous challenges, at great risk to their fortunes and their very lives. The exploits of La Salle or the achievements of Frontenac or the story of Charles LeMoyne and his ten sons would each of them easily make for an exceptional book. And then there was the unbelievably courageous Madeleine Verchères, who at the age of 14, took command of a fortress under attack and held it for a week, with only two frightened soldiers and a handful of women and children to help her. The 5 succeeding volumes, by different writers, each of them prominent in their own way, can be expected to offer quite different flavors and styles.
Non-fiction isn't my usual fare, but having read Costain before, I was pretty sure this would be OK, which it was. The only reason I gave it just 3 stars is that it doesn't really compare to good fiction (but it's pretty darn good non-fiction!). The first 80 years of Canadian history was a swashbuckling time, full of adventure and plenty of colorful characters. I connected on two fronts: great great grandparents on my maternal line settled first in Canada before the line coming here; this story ended with New Englander William Phips going to Canada to fight and I had ancestors who were with him.
The first installment in the Canadian History Series, this book covers Canada's early colonial days when it was colonized by the French, first landing in Quebec, then settlements slowly crept west and south into New Orleans, Louisiana. Allying, Proselytizing, and warring the various Indians tribes along the way, crossing arms most of the time with one of the largest and most able Indian Confederation in America, the Iroquois.
Uniquely, the History of French Canada began not with the story of a French, but, of an Italian, Giovanni (John) Cabot, who sought to find way to China through Northwest Passage. The rest was history, with intrepid explorers, such as Samuel de Champlain for example, opened the path, while the abundance of Beavers, who were hunted for their furs, caused the colonial settler population to boom. While colonization of Canada was first undertaken by private companies which controlled by able Ministers such Cardinals Richelieu and Mazarin, it really took off under Louis XIV, who sought to control every aspects of French government. While at first it helped the colonial cause, it also proved to be the cause of its eventual failure in growth, especially when compared with neighboring Dutch, later English, colonies. New France were riddled with useless regulations, which in the end stifled the free enterprise and initiatives
Other interesting figures such as able administrators and governors, bishops and missionaries, and even some indians also appeared in this book. Some heroic folk tales were also described, such as Adam Dollard's Men stand against Iroquois, and Bunch of villagers, being led by a 14-year old girl, managed to ward off Iroquois siege for 2 weeks before being relieved. Overall, I found this book being narrated in a not boring way, and informative, despite its old age.
OMG did I only start this in April? Feels like forever! Good for putting me to sleep every night, and a more in-depth look at the history I don't remember from high school. Now, off to check if I'm related to any of these famous people from Canadian history, on wikitree.com.
Extremely well written history of the French colonization of North America. It might seem a bit daunting compared to some of his other non fiction books, like The Conquering Family or The Last Plantagenets but contains a wealth of detail about life in early Quebec. In depth stories about characters such as the LeMoyne family, or the Jesuits that became the North American Martyrs are woven together with stories about Huron and Iroquois and set against the larger events affecting the colony of New France. By reading this book, I gained not just a knowledge of French Canada, but a much deeper understanding of the French and Indians Wars, and also the founding of New Orleans.
I have ancestors who helped settle Québec, and thought a history of their first 100 years might be informative. Thomas B. Costain is known for his excellent writing style. I found it fascinating, though it was disjointed. The book was written in 1954, and it shows. The Indians are characters and at one point he decries the miscegenation of white men marrying Indian women. Yet, this is a well worth read. There was much good in French Canada, and we should know a bit about their history.
This is the gripping story of the establishment of the French colony of Quebec, detailed but well-told by novelist-historian Costain. I deemoted it from an otherwise merited rating of 4 stars because of the author's casually patronizing view of the First Nations people. In spite of that, this book is well-worth the time and effort.
Colonial apologia, thomas continuously describes n.america as being devoid of people and full of untouched nature. Any carful reading of primary sources would disprove this idea. The author is far from alone in this type of retelling, it shows how eager the recently confederated canada and thier citizens wanted to tell a particular story rather than tell the true history of this land
Interesting early history the European settling of Canada with focus on French Canada. I listened to Audible, but a written version might have been better for me since I was unfamiliar with most of the names, and couldn't distinguish French pronunciation. Consequently I had some trouble keeping characters straight.
Relies on outdated racial theories and Phrenology, provides no citations, the narrative often excludes dates to help pin down when events are happening. Simply an outdated pseudo-academic work.
If I could give a 1/2 star, I would have given it 2 and 1/2. Costain does a great job exploring the roots of Canada, starting with the first explorers, from John Cabot, Cartier, and Champlain. It follows the French struggle to colonize Canada through its fighting with the Iroquois and other members of the Five Nations. The first half of the history ready very slowly, until Quebec is founded and minimal progress gets made. The history of the founding of the HBC (led by two French Coureur de bois) was very interesting. As was the attacks on the New England colonies in the late 1680s by Comte Frontenac leading to the French-English clash in North America. (This is where the Book Ends).
Being published in 1954, language is out of date, and many would consider it racist towards the First Nations populations today.
I hated Canadian history when I was in high school, but I think I would have been more interested if we'd had this book to read. Living in Montréal, it was interesting to read about so many historical figures who've lent their names to streets, bridges and towns.
I read this on my breaks while I was working, and every time my break ended I'd come back to my desk and tell my co-worker..."Did you know that so-and-so did this?"
I don't understand why it's not a part of every history class in Canada.
Heaven prevent me from writing a book as poor as this one. It is racist, deals only in stereotypes, and is completely devoid of meaningful and deep historical analysis. Many passages seem directly lifted out of his sources, an unfortunate habit that passes itself off as analysis. I do not see how my understanding of Québec has increased. Even though relying heavily on Mr Parkman's books, this volume falls dreadfully short of that high standard.
As always, Thomas Costain makes history read almost like fiction, full of colorful people and exciting deeds.
I certainly know far more about early Canadian history than I did before, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series of 6, even though they have different authors. Unfortunately, they are not in Kindle form and are only available in hard copy and paperback. The prices are quite reasonable.
While the subject matter was very interesting and I enjoyed learning about history that I knew very little about. I found the book to be disjointed. Also the lack of dates (years that events happened) to be a real detriment to the overall value of the book.
Fascinating history as always. Just happy that the first Lavallee in New France, who came as a soldier to fight the Iroquois, started the family line before being killed by said Iroquois. Oh, also found out the Dutch armed the Iroquois in hopes of getting rid of the French.
This historical fiction/non-fiction was quite enjoyable. It gave some factual history that spread some light in previously ignored arenas. It was humourous and enlightening.