Selections from Canadian Poets set an important precedent when it was published in 1864. It was the first anthology of native Canadian poetry and was compiled, as Edward Hartlet Dewart explained, in order to 'rescue from oblivion some of the floating pieces of Canadian authorship worthy of preservation in a more permanent form ...' This anthology, like any other, reflects the tastes of the anthologist and the tenor of the times. Pre-confederation poets had deeply felt ties with other countries from which developed a shared concern for what Douglas Lochhead terms in his introduction the 'now' and the 'place,' often described in terms of the 'past' and the 'other place,' which embraced a still larger loyalty – religious, political, philosophical, and above all nationalistic. Dewart was widely commended by critics of his attention for its endeavour to come to grips with the influences of other literatures (mainly English) and for its realization that so-called 'colonialism' was a major shaping force of Canadian poetry. On the first page of his essay Dewart states that:

A national literature is an essential element in the formation of national character.

These words, as well as his perceptive appraisal of the problems of Canadian literary endeavours, still apply today and make this reprint timely and pertinent.

Edward Hartley Dewart (1828-1903) was an ordained minister of the Methodist Church who held various charges in Ontario and then settled in Toronto. He was editor of the Christian Guardian from 1869 to 1894, and author of several theological works and a volume of poems.

Edward Dewart's profile page

In the spring of 2001, Douglas Lochhead received the Alden Nowlan Award for Excellence in English-language Literary Arts from the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Member of the Order of Canada, the recipient of honorary doctorates from several universities, Professor Emeritus at Mount Allison University, Senior Fellow and Founding Librarian at Massey College, University of Toronto, and a life member of the League of Canadian Poets. After beginning his career as an advertising copywriter, he became a librarian, a professor of English, a specialist in typography and fine hand printing, and a bibliographer, scholar, and editor — indeed, he has characterized himself as “an unrepentant generalist.” At Mount Allison University, he was a founder and the director of the Centre for Canadian Studies, and he held the Edgar and Dorothy Davidson Chair in Canadian Studies.

Douglas Lochhead's profile page