First published in 1952 and 1955, John A. Macdonald: The Young Politician, The Old Chieftain remains a classic in Canadian arts and letters. Described as the greatest biography ever written in Canada, it earned Donald Creighton two Governor General's Awards. In 2013, the Toronto Review of Books recommended it to anyone who wished to become a better Canadian.

In this book, Creighton examines the public and private lives of Canada’s first prime minister, his victories and defeats as well as his joys and pains. A gifted writer, Creighton takes the reader back in time, to the nineteenth century, the road to Confederation, and the building of the railway. Along the way, he visits Kingston, Quebec, Charlottetown, Ottawa, and London, following his hero from a few rooms above his father’s shop in Kingston to the corridors of power in England, including the magnificent Highclere Castle where much of the British North America Act was written. This edition includes a new introduction by Creighton's biographer, Donald Wright, and by Peter Waite, Creighton's very first doctoral student.

The late Donald Creighton (1902-1979) was the outstanding narrative historian of Canada in his era. A long-time professor of history at the University of Toronto, his other books include The Empire of the St. Lawrence, The Road to Confederation, and Canada's First Century.

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Donald Wright is an assistant professor in the Department of History and the Centre for Canadian Studies at Brock University.

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Peter Waite is a professor emeritus in the Department of History at Dalhousie University.

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