University of Saskatchewan historian Bill Waiser has selected and compiled Everett Baker's photographs into the first-ever book-form showcase of this exceptional photographer's work. "Everett Baker's photographic documentation of the province in the mid-twentieth century is a national treasure," Bill Waiser declares in the Introduction to this book. Unlike the black and white photos that typically document the era, they are as colourful as a flax field in bloom and together they provide rich insight into Everett Baker's unique view of the social history of Saskatchewan.

Everett Baker's Saskatchewan is a book filled with photos of the province as Baker saw it starting in 1937, when he travelled from town to town as a field man for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. With his German-made 35mm Leica camera, Baker took Kodachrome colour slide pictures of the people, towns, and farms he visited, immortalizing a unique chapter in Saskatchewan's history. It was the golden age of the co-operative movement in the province, as well as a time of change with the rise of Tommy Douglas's Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government. The old world was slipping into the shadow of the new, and Baker was there to capture it before it disappeared altogether.

"Anyone interested in Saskatchewan history," writes StarPhoenix columnist Randy Burton, "or even in taking a fresh look at where we came from, will find this book a fascinating look back."

Bill Waiser is one of Canada's foremost historians. For more than three decades, he was a history professor at the University of Saskatchewan. He is now a full-time writer and public speaker. Bill has published nineteen books, in addition to plying his trade in radio, television, and print media. He's known for an engaging, popular style that draws on the power of stories. His most recent book, In Search of Almighty Voice: Resistance and Reconciliation, was launched at the One Arrow First Nation's community powwow at the request of the Elders.

Bill Waiser's profile page

"I think Everett Baker fits into the tradition of social documentary photography that includes Lewis Hines or Alfred Steiglitz. Bill Waiser believes that Baker is a national treasure, and I think Bill Waiser is a national treasure. This book is very important and opens up the visual history of Saskatchewan, in all its beauty."
— Shelagh Rogers, CBC

"Everett Baker's dedication in documenting the breadth of Saskatchewan is eloquently expressed in this delightful volume. Baker's imagery reflects the obvious love and respect he held in his heart for the people and places of this prairie province."
— Photo Live

"An intimate look at the kind of province Saskatchewan was in the middle of the last century. It will never be the same again."
— The Star Phoenix (Saskatchewan)

"Whenever the Leader-Post has run photos from this massive cache of Kodachrome slides - many so bright and crisp they look like they were taken mere days ago - we are amazed at the positive reaction of readers."
— Regina Leader-Post (SK)

"Everett Baker's Saskatchewan is a solid book of photography and quite the coffee table book for anyone who appreciates the history of Saskatchewan."
— Midwest Book Review