Who were the first settlers in Newfoundland and Labrador? What is the origin of the Pink, White, and Green flag? Was Newfoundland and Labrador poor prior to Confederation? These are some of the questions answered in A Short History of Newfoundland and Labrador, a book that traces the growth of human settlement from Aboriginal pioneers to the current era. This is a lively, informative volume, written by professional historians.
An excellent book about the history of my home province! It might be a short history, but it was full of amazing thing I didn't know before. I feel like I understand my native island home better after reading this book! I hope the Newfoundland Historical Society releases another book on Newfoundland history!
This functions as a solid summary of Newfoundland history up until the end of the 20th Century. A different professional historian writes an essay-chapter for different periods. It is particularly strong in explaining the origins and early centuries of the province, and does a good job at clarifying who the native people of Newfoundland and Labrador were, and how the migratory and stationary fisheries worked.
As it says right in the title, this book is a short history of Newfoundland. As such, it is hard to fault it for sacrificing detail in favour of brevity. Nonetheless, it would have been nice to have had more detail and analysis of certain themes which are important to Newfoundland history (Newfoundland nationalism, the place of Indigenous people, etc.). Still, if you are looking to learn about Newfoundland’s history, this is a good place to start
Having visited Newfoundland recently I was interested to learn more of the history of this remarkable place. This little book is a great summary of the history of the people, cultures and heritage of those that call “The Rock” home.