Between Friends / Entre Amis

by Lorraine Monk (Editor)

Published in 1976, Between Friends/Entre Amis was Canada's gift to the United States on its bicentennial. McClelland & Stewart's press run was the most ambitious Canadian publishing project to that time, and the book received outstanding praise. It has been out of print for many years. A special Presentation Edition was run for American dignitaries. Pierre Trudeau and Lorraine Monk personally gave President Ford his copy in a Washington ceremony. Twenty five years later, there are 75 copies of this special edition, which was never available for sale in the U.S. or Canada. Each will be personally signed by Lorraine Monk, and is handsomely slipcased. Each copy is $595.00, normal trade discounts apply.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, History, Reference

292 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2001

Reviews

[Brian Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

These photographs have held up well to the passage of time. Between Friends | Entre Amis was a gift to the United States from the Canadian government on the occasion of the U. S. bicentennial anniversary in 1976. I remember driving from college to the World Congress Center in Atlanta to see the exhibition but, of course, there was no way I could afford this giant coffee table volume at that time. But thanks to Amazon used books, it’s now available for a song.

For the collection, the National Film Board (Still Photography Division) dispatched 26 Canadian photographers to document life and terrain along the U. S. – Canada border, the whole thing, from the Beauford Sea in the arctic to Quoddy Head on the coast of Maine. The result is 226 “colour” images of people & places pretty much in the style of National Geographic Magazine. Captions are at the back of the book but in one case the caption doesn’t tell me what I really want to know: did Red Swanson’s campaign poster by the door of Action Jackson’s Bar do the job of getting him elected in the town of Boundary (population 6) in the Yukon? And does Action Jackson really need the two six-shooters he’s packing?

Aside from the visual storytelling, perusing Between Friends | Entre Amis can be a bit melancholy. Times and border relations have changed dramatically in the intervening 33 years. In 1976, the border was a minor inconvenience for those who lived along it and even crossed it perhaps multiple times each day (like the Canadian children who attended school in the U. S.). This makes one wonder how border life fares today. Maybe it’s time for an ambitious personal project….

[Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was the official gift from Canada to the people of the United States for their bicentennial. It is a pictorial journey across the border between the two countries. This is one of my absolute favourite books. Unfortunately, the photo descriptions are indexed in the back of the book which makes them hard to access due to the weight and size of the book. Hence, one star lost.

[Jason Bullett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great coffee table edition; this was a book I bought at a library used book sale, and it makes a great addition to my living room.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book of Canadian/American border photos presented by Canada to the United States in 1976 to honour the American Revolution Bicentennial.

It speaks to a time of greater freedom along our border and should sit on the table in front of all current parties who are discussing walled borders as a reminder that walling isn't necessary and doesn't cultivate friendship - rather separateness.

I still pull this book out and enjoy the photos, the maps of the border and the quotes.