Citizen's Bookshelf . . .
CANADA
North of the United States is a land area of nearly four million square miles in which live some twelve million persons. Before 1867 it often used to be called British North America, and today though officially the federation of the greater part of British possessions in North America, it prides itself on being called the Dominion of Canada and on being independent and enterprising.
Interested though Americans are in Canadian industry and government, geography, literature, and art, they know too little about their northern neighbors, their history, and the land they live in.
In an attempt to place before readers of the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE some of the most significant recent books about Canada, Wayne E. Stevens '30h, Professor of History, who teaches a course in "The History of Canada," comments briefly on some of his favorites.
CANADA: THE GOLDEN HINGE. Leslie Roberts. (Rinehart & Company, New York, 1952.) This volume constitutes an excellent and most readable survey of present-day Canada. The land and its people are described in interesting fashion, and there is a valuable chapter explaining in broad outline the system of government. A considerable part of the book is devoted to the amazing economic progress which is such a striking aspect of contemporary Canada.
A SHORT HISTORY OF CANADA FORAMERICANS. Alfred Leroy Burt. (University of Minnesota Press, 1942.) Americans are all too likely to be ignorant of the history of our Canadian neighbors excepting in those aspects where it impinges upon the story of our own country. And yet a knowledge of the history of Canada offers much of value and interest to us. Born a Canadian, for a number of years professor of history in an American university, Mr. Burt was admirably qualified to write this survey for American readers. For one who desires a brief account of the stages by which Canada became a nation this book is strongly recommended.
CANADA. Edited by George W. Brown. (University of California Press, 1950.) Besides an introduction, this volume contains 24 chapters by various persons, each a specialist in his subject. The contents fall into five parts: the geographical setting, historical background, economy, political and constitutional institions, and social and cultural pattern. This is an indispensable work for anyone with a serious interest in the history of Canada and its institutions.
THE FRENCH-CANADIAN OUTLOOK:A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE UNKNOWN NORTH AMERICANS. Mason Wade. (Viking Press, New York, 1946.) An outstanding feature of the Canada of today, as for almost two centuries past, is its dual character in respect to race, language, and religion. The presence of the French and their determination to preserve at any cost their own way of life have been a constant factor in the course of Canadian history. Mr. Wade is an outstanding authority on the history of Anglo-French relations, and the subject is briefly but admirably summarized in this small volume. Much of the research embodied in the book is based upon materials in Dartmouth's Baker Library.
CANADA AND THE UNITED ST A TES:SOME ASPECTS OF THEIR HISTORICAL RELATIONS. Hugh L. Keenleyside and Gerald S. Brown (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1952.) Few Americans realize how close and at times how complex and difficult have been the relations between Canada and the United States. Continuing allusions to "our friendly neighbors" and "the unguarded frontier" cannot obscure the fact that all has not been sweetness and light in the contacts between the two countries. This revision of a work first published in 1929 describes the stresses and strains which have from time to time threatened the friendship between the two countries, but the story is also a heartening one in view of the unbroken peace which it has been possible to maintain since the close of the War of 1812.
THE INCREDIBLE CANADIAN: ACANDID PORTRAIT OF MACKENZIE KING, HIS WORKS, HIS TIMESAND HIS NATION. Bruce Hutchison (Longmans, Green & Co., New York. 1953). During more than 21 years of the period from 1921 to 1948, William Lyon Mackenzie King was Prime Minister of Canada. No other person has served as prime minister of any member of the British Commonwealth of Nations for so long a period. This biography, just published, reveals the major trends in Canadian political and economic life during the first half of the century.
THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC: THE STORYOF FIVE YEARS IN POLAR REGIONS. Vilhjalmur Stefansson. (Macmillan Company, New York, 1943.) In view of the increasingly important strategic role of the Canadian Arctic and the growing appreciation of the value of its mineral and other resources, no list of significant books relating to Canada should fail to include at least one work by Dr. Stefansson. The Friendly Arctic describes the northern region in all its varied aspects in terms of an account of explorations carried on by the author during the years 1913-1918. This book, by one of the greatest Arctic explorers of all time, is recommended as a classic in its field.
