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The Illustrated History of Canada: A Canadian Classic, Now Completely Revised
"This book presents the sweep of Canadian history, and a grand sweep it is."
- Montreal Gazette (on an earlier edition) First published in 1987, The Illustrated History of Canada was the first comprehensive, authoritative one-volume chronicle of Canada from its earliest times. Today, The Illustrated History of Canada is fully updated and includes contemporary material on the rise of small government, the recognition of Native land claims, and Canada's role in the post-Cold War.
- Montreal Gazette (on an earlier edition) First published in 1987, The Illustrated History of Canada was the first comprehensive, authoritative one-volume chronicle of Canada from its earliest times. Today, The Illustrated History of Canada is fully updated and includes contemporary material on the rise of small government, the recognition of Native land claims, and Canada's role in the post-Cold War.
622 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
22 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Robert Craig Brown
10 books1 followerRobert Craig Brown was professor of history emeritus at the University of Toronto, where he taught from 1966 until his retirement in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 31, 2017
I read this book to refresh my Canadian history, particularly history prior to the 20th century. Over two-thirds of the book is of this time period which was very suitable for me.
There is a strong emphasis through-out of the impact of the new European explorers and settlers on the indigenous people. The French and English would not have been able to survive without the aid of the indigenous peoples when they first arrived in the 1600’s and 1700’s.
As a short introduction let me emphasis what came out between the lines in this book. Canada is an odd country geographically and demographically. When the first settlers arrived the land had vast empty spaces between settlements, like Quebec City and Montreal separated by a distance of 250 kilometres. Even at the outset Canada’s population was far less than the British colonies to the south that were, in 1776, to become the United States.
Even today half of Canada’s population resides in the Quebec City – Windsor corridor. Sadly, for the rest of the country, Canadian elections are usually decided by the votes in this part of the country.
Most of the population lives within one hundred miles of the U.S. border; the large city of Edmonton is one of the few exceptions. Another example of demographics is the province of Manitoba (in square kilometres it is larger than France): Winnipeg is the largest city with a population close to 700,000, the second largest city is Brandon which is less than 50,000.
All this has made Canada a difficult country to govern and administer. Large urban centres are vying for attention with much smaller rural principalities spread over a vast periphery of land.
Because this book had six different authors it has a lack of unity. There is repetition and it has a text-book feel to it. The illustrations are wonderful.
The authors do put emphasis on our powerful neighbor to the south. The war of independence in the 1770’s affected us. We made alliances with indigenous tribes, which in many ways proved fatal to them. The authors point out that the U.S. Civil War was a trigger for Canadian Confederation in 1867. The separate Canadian regions of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Lower and Upper Canada would feel more protected in a federation from the growing belligerence of a now fully armed and much more populous United States. There was a growing fear that with the ending of the Civil War the more populous United States would turn northward in search of territory.
The book also emphasises the constant struggle between French and English which continues to this day.
The early farmers faced an unending struggle with nature. Forests had to cleared for cultivation. This was done by brute strength in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Most of the early settlers lived in arduous and isolated conditions. The level of education that could be provided to their children was minimal compared to the Europe they left. They wanted and needed many children to work their farms.
There were also plentiful trees to provide wood for her Majesty’s Royal Navy. Cutting trees in the endless forests was dangerous work. The people who came here and survived were a sturdy stock. Even the passage to the New World over the Atlantic in over-crowded ships, used to take lumber to England, was fraught with disease and danger. Some ships didn’t make it, disappearing in Atlantic Ocean storms.
I didn’t find the chapters of Canada in the 20th Century to be a true reflection of Canada’s spirit. Little was said of the role of the Duplessis regime (mid 1930’s to 1960) and the role of the Catholic Church in subjugating the French in the province of Quebec. It was as if the authors were trying to show equally all the different Canadian issues and problems. This “balancing act” is a typical Canadian trait, but in the book it diluted the major confrontations, particularly that of Quebec nationalism and the independence movement from the 1960’s onward. Were the authors trying to be politically correct in glossing over the FLQ and their role in Quebec nationalism in the 1960’s and 1970’s? The major topic in Canada from the 1960’s onwards was the threat of Quebec forming its own sovereign state and separating from Canada.
Also little is said about the changing role of women in Canadian society.
In the 1960’s immigration laws were changed to remove racial discrimination. This has changed the ethnic composition of our country. Canada is no longer an Anglo-Saxon/French (Quebecois) land. This is not discussed in the book. Also overlooked is Toronto’s status as the major city in Canada, eclipsing Montreal.
This book is very trend and event driven. Generally only political personalities are presented. The 20th century chapters over-emphasized trade and economics. Varying personalities like David Suzuki, Adrienne Clarkson, Margaret Atwood, Henry Morgentaler, Pierre Berton, or Yousuf Karsh could have been presented. Why was Norman Bethune even mentioned (and the above people not)?
At least they had the Pierre Elliot Trudeau quote of 1967: “The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.” Surely such a statement distinguishes Canadians from the U.S., I could not imagine any political leader from the U.S. having the audacity to say that.
There is a strong emphasis through-out of the impact of the new European explorers and settlers on the indigenous people. The French and English would not have been able to survive without the aid of the indigenous peoples when they first arrived in the 1600’s and 1700’s.
As a short introduction let me emphasis what came out between the lines in this book. Canada is an odd country geographically and demographically. When the first settlers arrived the land had vast empty spaces between settlements, like Quebec City and Montreal separated by a distance of 250 kilometres. Even at the outset Canada’s population was far less than the British colonies to the south that were, in 1776, to become the United States.
Even today half of Canada’s population resides in the Quebec City – Windsor corridor. Sadly, for the rest of the country, Canadian elections are usually decided by the votes in this part of the country.
Most of the population lives within one hundred miles of the U.S. border; the large city of Edmonton is one of the few exceptions. Another example of demographics is the province of Manitoba (in square kilometres it is larger than France): Winnipeg is the largest city with a population close to 700,000, the second largest city is Brandon which is less than 50,000.
All this has made Canada a difficult country to govern and administer. Large urban centres are vying for attention with much smaller rural principalities spread over a vast periphery of land.
Because this book had six different authors it has a lack of unity. There is repetition and it has a text-book feel to it. The illustrations are wonderful.
The authors do put emphasis on our powerful neighbor to the south. The war of independence in the 1770’s affected us. We made alliances with indigenous tribes, which in many ways proved fatal to them. The authors point out that the U.S. Civil War was a trigger for Canadian Confederation in 1867. The separate Canadian regions of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Lower and Upper Canada would feel more protected in a federation from the growing belligerence of a now fully armed and much more populous United States. There was a growing fear that with the ending of the Civil War the more populous United States would turn northward in search of territory.
The book also emphasises the constant struggle between French and English which continues to this day.
The early farmers faced an unending struggle with nature. Forests had to cleared for cultivation. This was done by brute strength in the 1700’s and 1800’s. Most of the early settlers lived in arduous and isolated conditions. The level of education that could be provided to their children was minimal compared to the Europe they left. They wanted and needed many children to work their farms.
There were also plentiful trees to provide wood for her Majesty’s Royal Navy. Cutting trees in the endless forests was dangerous work. The people who came here and survived were a sturdy stock. Even the passage to the New World over the Atlantic in over-crowded ships, used to take lumber to England, was fraught with disease and danger. Some ships didn’t make it, disappearing in Atlantic Ocean storms.
I didn’t find the chapters of Canada in the 20th Century to be a true reflection of Canada’s spirit. Little was said of the role of the Duplessis regime (mid 1930’s to 1960) and the role of the Catholic Church in subjugating the French in the province of Quebec. It was as if the authors were trying to show equally all the different Canadian issues and problems. This “balancing act” is a typical Canadian trait, but in the book it diluted the major confrontations, particularly that of Quebec nationalism and the independence movement from the 1960’s onward. Were the authors trying to be politically correct in glossing over the FLQ and their role in Quebec nationalism in the 1960’s and 1970’s? The major topic in Canada from the 1960’s onwards was the threat of Quebec forming its own sovereign state and separating from Canada.
Also little is said about the changing role of women in Canadian society.
In the 1960’s immigration laws were changed to remove racial discrimination. This has changed the ethnic composition of our country. Canada is no longer an Anglo-Saxon/French (Quebecois) land. This is not discussed in the book. Also overlooked is Toronto’s status as the major city in Canada, eclipsing Montreal.
This book is very trend and event driven. Generally only political personalities are presented. The 20th century chapters over-emphasized trade and economics. Varying personalities like David Suzuki, Adrienne Clarkson, Margaret Atwood, Henry Morgentaler, Pierre Berton, or Yousuf Karsh could have been presented. Why was Norman Bethune even mentioned (and the above people not)?
At least they had the Pierre Elliot Trudeau quote of 1967: “The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation.” Surely such a statement distinguishes Canadians from the U.S., I could not imagine any political leader from the U.S. having the audacity to say that.
May 9, 2012
It took me a while to finish this book (started it over a year before I finished it). It is not that it is badly written; it is actually quite packed tight with information and goes thoroughly through the history of Canada. Not having a breadth of knowledge on Canadian history, it was laborious at times for me to take it all in so-to-speak. With that said and barring the fact that I have read no other histories on Canada, this book was quite informative and made me appreciate our northern neighbors and their path as respects their approach to the government of our shared "mother" country. One thing is for certain if Brown is indeed accurate in his depiction of Canadian relations with first nations peoples: while the Canadian record is not spotless, it would appear that their overall record is better than that found in the United States. At any rate, if you want a thorough introduction to Canadian history read this book; or, read a less-thorough survey of Canadian history first and then read this one to fill in the details.
May 25, 2007
You might be thinking, "Canadian history? How dry." Well my friend, you are wrong.
December 30, 2013
Good comprehensive history of Canada. I felt like it was a little light in modern history (and it ends in the 1990s) but its was really good for the early history of Canada.
April 14, 2013
Good overview of Canadian History. If your interested in the subject this is the perfect place to start.
January 17, 2017
An excellent, well illustrated survey of Canadian history, told in a series of essays.
December 9, 2020
This text provided a good overview of Canadian history up to 2002, although some chapters focused overly much on political campaign minutia for my preference. The illustrations were thoughtfully chosen and enhanced the historical narrative.
March 5, 2018
The start is pretty good, but later it becomes a cycle of names and dates without much interesting stories.
June 13, 2018
God Bless Canada!
April 28, 2024
As history books go, this one was delightful. A fine reminder of the courage and determination of those who have created and built our nation.
June 8, 2009
Unlike the greater portion of tomes dealing with the intangible Canadian history, this book does not begin at Pangaea.
Reading rather like a compilation of six books comprising a greater body (not unlike holy texts - in fact, this book has been unofficially called the "bible" of Canadian history), a sextet of famed Canadian scholars and authors focused on their own particular segment of the Canadian chronology, with editor Craig Brown seeing to the cohesive and continuity of each chapter.
(This latter point is achieved without sterilizing or homogenizing the text. In case of point, alongside the avuncular, exclamatory writing tone of Peter Waite ("Yours sincerely!") comes the strikingly direct, acerbic pontifications of Desmond Morton, all but vilifying politicians with his own interlaced biases - all to entertaining, amusing effect.)
Including both illustrations pertinent to the text as well as colour-plate reprints of famed artwork, The Illustrated History of Canada touches upon many variant aspects of the Canadian culture, as opposed to focusing in on merely the historical, the political, or the dissidence of modern times.
The down side, of course, is that with any great spectrum comes the lack of discerned focus on any specific detail; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, having defined several generations of Canadians, receives as much attention as the 1990 Oka Crisis in Quebec. Relatively little clarifying detail is given to major topics such as the failed Meech Lake Accord, the Hibernia Project (which receives but a passing mention), or the exact nuances behind the formation of the Bloc Quebecois in the 1990s. A miasma of names and faces blur past as the authors strive to include famous and infamous monikers and titles, at the expense of others. Absolutely no mention of Pierre Berton, The National, or even Spence's (short-lived) Republic of Manitobah. (To be fair, however, each author is given the opportunity to direct intertested readers to further works on his specified topic, as well as to briefly explain the significance of the stated works.)
At just under 600 pages, this book manages to touch just the surface of what went before Canada's great Confederation. Diagrams and maps prove to make this book superior to other, briefer, studies of the nation.
Reading rather like a compilation of six books comprising a greater body (not unlike holy texts - in fact, this book has been unofficially called the "bible" of Canadian history), a sextet of famed Canadian scholars and authors focused on their own particular segment of the Canadian chronology, with editor Craig Brown seeing to the cohesive and continuity of each chapter.
(This latter point is achieved without sterilizing or homogenizing the text. In case of point, alongside the avuncular, exclamatory writing tone of Peter Waite ("Yours sincerely!") comes the strikingly direct, acerbic pontifications of Desmond Morton, all but vilifying politicians with his own interlaced biases - all to entertaining, amusing effect.)
Including both illustrations pertinent to the text as well as colour-plate reprints of famed artwork, The Illustrated History of Canada touches upon many variant aspects of the Canadian culture, as opposed to focusing in on merely the historical, the political, or the dissidence of modern times.
The down side, of course, is that with any great spectrum comes the lack of discerned focus on any specific detail; the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, having defined several generations of Canadians, receives as much attention as the 1990 Oka Crisis in Quebec. Relatively little clarifying detail is given to major topics such as the failed Meech Lake Accord, the Hibernia Project (which receives but a passing mention), or the exact nuances behind the formation of the Bloc Quebecois in the 1990s. A miasma of names and faces blur past as the authors strive to include famous and infamous monikers and titles, at the expense of others. Absolutely no mention of Pierre Berton, The National, or even Spence's (short-lived) Republic of Manitobah. (To be fair, however, each author is given the opportunity to direct intertested readers to further works on his specified topic, as well as to briefly explain the significance of the stated works.)
At just under 600 pages, this book manages to touch just the surface of what went before Canada's great Confederation. Diagrams and maps prove to make this book superior to other, briefer, studies of the nation.
October 3, 2022
Канада - член великої сімки, одна з найбільших та найцікавіших країн з погляду пересічного українця. Канада - це країна з найбільшою українською діаспорою. От саме про історію цієї країни я і вирішив почитати. І обрав книгу, написану канадцями про неї.
Що вражає у цій книзі, так це те, що оповідь геть відрізняється від звичної шкільної історії України чи Світу. Відрізняється саме видом оповіді. Тобто якщо історія світу, як вона згадується з шкільної лави, це суцільна вервечка воєн, вбивств та договорів.
Тут же оповідь переважно стосується побуту, переходячи до політики під кінець книги. А війни і тому подібні події згадуються лише побіжно.
Інше, що вразило, це те, яка велика кількість проблем та протиріч у країні. В Україні існує уявлення про Канаду мало як не про землю обітовану, але з книги дізнаєшся про безліч протиріч та запеклу політичну боротьбу всередині країни, про яку мало що говорять українські ЗМІ. Хоча, і чого б вони говорили?
Що вражає у цій книзі, так це те, що оповідь геть відрізняється від звичної шкільної історії України чи Світу. Відрізняється саме видом оповіді. Тобто якщо історія світу, як вона згадується з шкільної лави, це суцільна вервечка воєн, вбивств та договорів.
Тут же оповідь переважно стосується побуту, переходячи до політики під кінець книги. А війни і тому подібні події згадуються лише побіжно.
Інше, що вразило, це те, яка велика кількість проблем та протиріч у країні. В Україні існує уявлення про Канаду мало як не про землю обітовану, але з книги дізнаєшся про безліч протиріч та запеклу політичну боротьбу всередині країни, про яку мало що говорять українські ЗМІ. Хоча, і чого б вони говорили?
June 6, 2009
Excellent overview of Canadian history bogs down in places with un-even authorship and varied writing styles. However, the reach of a book that describes the first contacts with First Nations peoples, through the early development of Upper and Lower Canada, through Confederation, the War Years, the rise of cities and Liberalism, Separatism and the rise and decline of affluence is impressive. I encourage anyone with an interest in Canadian history and politics to read this book. Through it you may come to a better understanding of the forces of nature and man that have shaped Canada and Canadians.
August 29, 2014
This was a very interesting read, and it read well despite the fact that every chapter was authored by a different person. I found the first few chapters to be the most intereting ones, perhaps because those events are furthest back in time and therefore more ''exotic''. I also found them more interesting because they detailed a lot more of the social aspects of life in Canada, whereas the last chapters seemed a bit dryer, talking mostly about parties, numbers and elections. Perhaps, also, it comes down to the writing styles of the different authors.
November 21, 2016
A good book to start your journey into the history of Canada. It is entertaining, engaging and packed with knowledge. Loved all chapters ,except found the last chapter a dry read that dealt with the political history of Canada through the 19th , 20th and the present century. However that last chapter piqued my curiosity to know more about the canadian political machinery. This book is a good map to pick your destinations and hit the road to explore.
January 20, 2011
This is a decent book. It makes sure it gets lots in but lacks the sort of excitement that marks great history.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews