Rivers of Canada

This beautiful and thought-provoking book, years in the making, brings a new perspective to the Canadian saga. It also brings a new standard of excellence to those rare and wonderful books that succeed in pleas­ing both the eye and the mind. Through the pen of our most distinguished nov­elist, the story of the rivers of Canada, coast to coast, is told with a freshness and perception that will catch the imagination of everyone who seeks answers to the questions "What is Canada really like?" and "How did the country develop this way?" Through the lens of our most distinguished photographer, the special look, manner, and mood of the rivers are recorded in pictures that speak eloquently for them­selves. The importance of rivers in Canada - in times both past and present - will come as an intriguing surprise to the reader who has simply taken them for granted. The opening lines of our recorded history, to be found in the smudged pages of the journals of the discoverers, describe how the first probing journeys into the unknown forest were made on the clear, cold streams that issued from the vastness of trees and rocks. These waterways carried the indomitable fur trader into the wilderness, and then the pioneer with axe and plough. In time, almost all of the major cities of Canada arose at a river's mouth, at a river crossing, or at the point where rivers joined. Today, from the St. Lawrence to the Fraser, the river still plays a vital role in transportation, energy, irrigation, and leisure. Canada's rivers are the veins through which the lifeblood of the nation flows. This is, of course, a book about rivers - about the most important and interesting of our rivers. But it is much more than that. It is, at times, the intimate journal of Hugh MacLennan, who subtly interweaves his thoughts, even his dreams, into the fabric of fact. On foot, by automobile, and by helicopter, he came to personal terms with all of the rivers he describes at length. (continued...)