Written for the general reader, this book by Georges Arsenault provides an overview of the three hundred years of French and Acadian presence on Prince Edward Island. The author describes the first settlements established on the Island by France, the deportation of the Acadian inhabitants in 1758, and their resettlement on the Island. He also looks at the evolution of the economy, the role of the Catholic Church, French-language education, and the struggles to ensure a vibrant French culture in the Acadian communities throughout the Island.

Georges Arsenault is a prominent Acadian historian and folklorist who has been writing about the Acadians of Prince Edward Island since the early 1980s. His landmark book, Les Acadiens de l’Île, 1720-1980, won both the Champlain and France-Acadie prizes. In 2002, he wrote Acadian Legends, Folktales and Songs from Prince Edward Island, and with the publication of Acadian Christmas Traditions in 2007, he expanded his research to include Acadian traditions throughout Eastern Canada. The original French version of this book, La Mi-Carême en Acadie (published by La Grand Marée), received the 2008 Prince Edward Island Book Award. Sally Ross is an historian and translator from Nova Scotia. She has translated three other books by Georges Arsenault: The Island Acadians, 1720-1980 (Ragweed Press, 1989); Acadian Legends, Folktales, and Songs from Prince Edward Island (Acorn Press, 2002); and Acadian Christmas Traditions (Acorn Press, 2007).

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