Old Quebec : the fortress of New France

by Gilbert Parker, Claude Glennon Bryan

In 1535 Jacques Cartier, a Frenchman, sailed up the St. Lawrence River and into the heart of New France, where he first set eyes upon Quebec. A half-century later, Samuel de Champlain arrived and capitalized on his countryman's discovery. Champlain established Quebec�s first permanent settlement. These first settlers had to contend not only with the weather, but also with local Indians, and in 1629, a British barricade. Nevertheless, Quebec soon became a powerful center for trade and religion.

Genres: History

486 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

About the author

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker, 1st Baronet PC (1862- 1932), known as Gilbert Parker, Canadian novelist and British politician, was born at Camden East, Addington, Ontario. He was educated at Ottawa and at University of Trinity College at the University of Toronto. Parker started as a teacher at the Ontario School for the deaf and dumb (in Belleville, Ontario). From there he went on to lecture at Trinity College. In 1886 he went to Australia, and became for a while associate editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. He also traveled extensively in the Pacific, Europe, Asia, Egypt, the South Sea Islands and subsequently in northern Canada. In the early nineties he began to make a growing reputation in London as a writer of romantic fiction. The best of his novels are those in which he first took for his subject the history and life of the French Canadians; and his permanent literary reputation rests on the fine quality, descriptive and dramatic, of his Canadian stories. His works include: Mrs Falchion (1893), A Lover's Diary (1894), The Battle of the Strong (1898), The Lane That Had No Turning (1900), The Right of Way (1901), Cumner's Son (1904), The Weavers (1907), Northern Lights (1909), and The Judgment House (1913).

Reviews

[The Master · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast-moving history of Quebec City up to the start of the 20th century. A bit dated and formal in style, but a good quick overview. The old hardcover version looks nice on a bookshelf.