Jewel of the Atlantic: The Story of Mainland Nova Scotia

Richard Wilbur is Supervisor of the Legislative Research Service at the
New Brunswick Legislature and author of The Rise of French New
Brunswick.

The professional writer and the skilled photographer who produced this
neat little book obviously received their advances from the Nova Scotia
Department of Tourism, but the accompanying instructions must have been
rather vague—almost wishy-washy. Unlike the first volume in this
series on Cape Breton, this Mainland version is a more prosaic and less
inspired read, even though the photographs are first-class.

Each of the 24 two-page sections has a color photo on the left and text
on the right, and the first 13 units smack of formula writing: all but
the last two paragraphs in each are straight history. In the first 12
sections, the reader gets almost all history (circa 1800) at the expense
of the here and now. For instance, we read about the early history of
the aborigines, and except for a final paragraph reference to the
location of the larger Micmac reserves and the fact that crafts can be
purchased, we learn nothing about possible gatherings nonaboriginals
might attend. The text accompanying a handsome aerial shot of Chapel
Island (on Cape Breton, at that!) refers to the annual gathering of Nova
Scotia Micmacs, but there’s no reference to when or if outsiders are
welcome. The Acadian page gets the same treatment: all but two
paragraphs on history, and no reference to public fetes that visitors
might enjoy.

If the intent of this series is to appeal to travellers, as the back
cover suggests, then why not tell them where they might drop a trout
line? Along with the excellent aerial shot of a superb North Shore
beach, why not some textual reference to swimming facilities? The
agriculture section partly overcomes this nonparticipatory approach with
its reference to “exhibitions and fairs . . . during the summer
months,” but it would have helped if the approximate date had been
given for North America’s “oldest agricultural exhibition” at
Windsor.

In summary, this is a neat history lesson supported by often-stunning
photographs, but its overall impact is weakened by the absence of
specifics on how visitors might best enjoy this magnificent province.