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Book Review: Historical Atlas of Canada
Book Review: Historical Atlas of Canada
Historical Atlas of Canada • Canada´s History Illustrated with Original Maps
By Dereck Hayes
272 pages • ISBN 978-1-77162-079-6
The Historical Atlas of Canada covers a period of a thousand years and contains essentially all the historically significant maps of the country. Here are the often colourful, sometimes bizarre charts of European explorers who discovered Canada while seeking an easier westerly route to the spices of the Orient. Many of these early surveys depict imagined or hoped-for straits and passages; one shows the St. Lawrence River flowing from an opening on the coast of California!
These maps show the way things were in a unique geographical way. Explorers created their own maps, but the maps they took with them also depict what they expected to encounter, an expectation that often shaped their decisions. Rare First Nations maps show how the land was known to Canada´s aboriginal peoples before significant contact with Europeans. All of these –and more- are here in the Historical Atlas of Canada, an insightful and different perspective on the nation´s past.
Dereck Hayes is the author of fifteen best-selling books on Canada and North American history, many of which have won awards. His books include Canada: An Illustrated History, the Historical Atlas of the North American Railroad, the Historical Atlas of Toronto, and British Columbia: A New Historical Atlas.
