Prince Edward Island

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, Japan Foundation Fellow 1991-92, and the author of
Margaret Laurence: The Long Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered:
Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This attractive guidebook has more than 400 excellent color photos of
people, places, and activities distributed liberally throughout the
text. It is written by 20 contributors, whose impressive backgrounds and
areas of expertise are noted at the beginning of the book.

In “Land and Sea,” Ian MacQuarrie focuses on the geology,
geography, birds, plant, animals, and basic ecology of PEI. Under
“Peoples,” three writers cover the Mi’kmaq, Acadians, Scots,
Irish, and British. “Confederation” offers a brief history. There
are chapters on Lucy Maud Montgomery and her house, Green Gables at
Cavendish on the North Shore. A longer chapter called “Anne’s
Land” details bed-and-breakfast accommodations throughout the island.
Other chapters describe PEI’s hills and harbors, bays and dunes,
crafts and antiques, festivals, campsites, lighthouses, cycling routes,
golf courses, a walking tour of Charlottetown, and much more. The final
section, which includes its own table of contents, provides details on
location, hours and seasons when open, and prices (where appropriate) of
the Island’s pubs and taverns, craft stores, art galleries, and other
items of interest. It is difficult to think of what might have been
omitted.

Informative, readable, and well organized, this guidebook deserves five
stars.