Voyageur Classics is a series of special versions of Canadian classics, with added material and new introductory notes. In this bundle we find five biographical and autobiographical titles that shed light on some of Canada’s most important figures at crucial times in the country’s development. William Kilbourn brings to life the rebel Canadian hero William Lyon Mackenzie: able political editor, first mayor of Toronto, and the gadfly of the House of Assembly. The Scalpel, the Sword celebrates the turbulent career of Dr. Norman Bethune, a brilliant surgeon, campaigner for socialized medicine, and communist. Elizabeth Simcoe’s diary, describing Canada from 1791 to 1796, is history written as it was being made, an account instilled with excitement and delight. And finally, two titles by the legendary Grey Owl tell his own astonishing story and advocate for a closeness with and respect for nature. Each of these books is an essential classic of Canadian literature.

Includes

• The Firebrand
• Mrs. Simcoe’s Diary
• The Scalpel, the Sword
• The Men of the Last Frontier
• Pilgrims of the Wild

Grey Owl (1888-1938), an Englishman, immigrated to Canada as Archibald Belaney in 1906 and quickly constructed an identity as a Native, assuming the Ojibwa name Wa-sha-quon-asin and eventually settling in Saskatchewan on Ajawaan Lake. He spread his message of preservation through multiple bestsellers, including The Men of the Last Frontier, The Adventures of Sajo and Her Beaver People, and Tales Of An Empty Cabin.

Grey Owl's profile page

James Polk has written on the Canadian animal story as a unique genre in articles, reviews, and a book, Wilderness Writers. He served as cultural policy adviser in the Ontario government and is the author of a novel, short stories, and a play. He is the recipient of the Janice E. Handford Award from the Ontario Book Publishers for his contribution to literary publishing. He lives in Toronto.

 

James Polk's profile page

Michael Gnarowski co-edited The Making of Modern Poetry in Canada, compiled The Concise Bibliography of E nglish Canadian Literature, and edited the Critical Views on Canadian Writers Series for McGraw-Hill Ryerson. He has written for Encyclopedia Americana, The Canadian Encyclopedia, The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography, and The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Poetry. Gnarowski is professor emeritus at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Michael Gnarowski's profile page

Hugh Eayrs' profile page

Julie Allan's profile page

Norman Bethune Allan's profile page

Susan Ostrovsky's profile page

Sydney Gordon (1915-1984) was a childhood friend and collaborator of Ted Allan in Montreal.

Sydney Gordon's profile page

Mary Quayle Innis (1899-1972) was the author of several books, including An Economic History of Canada, Changing Canada, and Travellers West. She was the dean of women at University College, University of Toronto, for a number of years, and she was married to noted economics historian, Harold A. Innis.

Mary Quayle Innis' profile page

Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe (1766-1850) was the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada.

Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe's profile page

William Kilbourn (1926–1995) was a noted author, activist, and Toronto politician. He was a Toronto alderman and the founding chairman of the Humanities Division at York University. His books include Toronto Observed: Its Architecture, Patrons, and History, and Toronto Remembered: A Celebration of the City.

William Kilbourn's profile page

Rosa Jordan's previous novels for young people, The Last Wild Place, The Goatnappers, and Lost Goat Lane, won or were nominated for numerous awards, including the 2007 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle Readers distinction, the Red Maple Award, and the Chocolate Lily Award. She grew up in the Florida Everglades and now lives in Rossland, British Columbia, in the Monashee Mountains.

Ronald Stagg's profile page