Grant MacEwan's West: Sketches from the Past

Nora D.S. Robins is Collections Co-ordinator (Internal) of the
University of Calgary Libraries.

MacEwan’s prolific pen has produced yet another book on Western
Canadian history. This time, he has encapsulated 400 years of the
events, characters, and themes of Prairie history into short,
easy-to-read sketches. And “short” is the operative word: in 177
pages, MacEwan presents 99 sketches.

In his seven chapters—“Exploration and the Fur Trade”; “Red
River”; “Opening the West”; “The Promised Land”; “Rich Land,
Harsh Environment”; “People and Places”; and “A New
West”—the narrative is straightforward and the sketches read rather
like well-written newspaper articles. While there are no footnotes or
references, the book concludes with a short list of items MacEwan
consulted, followed by a serviceable index.

This book of interesting vignettes is aimed at those for whom history
is a hobby. The author hopes that it will prove useful to seniors and
“to busy people, young and old.”

MacEwan has written more than 35 books on various aspects of Western
Canadian history. At 89, he is the grand old man of Prairie writing, and
he possesses an obvious love for his subject. He has had a distinguished
career as an agriculturalist and a public servant, serving as
lieutenant-governor of Alberta and as mayor of Calgary. MacEwan has
received five honorary degrees and is a member of the Order of Canada.