The Dictionary of Canadian Quotations

Kelly L. Green is a freelance writer living in Ajax, Ontario.

This marvelous collection of quotations related to Canada and Canadians
has a quality unusual in a reference work—it is blatantly, wildly
personal. Colombo has compiled a fascinating array of more than 6000
quotations, covering some 900 subjects, by 2500 contributors, as well as
a 10,000-entry index, basing his selections, it seems, on his own
interests and fascinations. This is not necessarily a criticism, as the
result of Colombo’s personal approach is a book any Canadian or, in
fact, any educated person will find an invaluable resource. Most of the
quotations are by Canadians and there are a few remarks about things
Canadian by the likes of John Irving, Tom Wolfe, and Henry Kissinger.

What is interesting about this collection is that so many quotations
about unrelated subjects somehow keep coming back to Canada, Canadians,
or the Canadian experience. Whether the topic is music or mythology,
salesmanship or sanity, many of the quotations have a Canadian
reference. In fact, readers who compare this work to other collections
that include quotations from Canadians will likely find many
discrepancies. For instance, well-known remarks by Margaret Atwood and
Nellie McClung did not make it into this volume, although both these
writers are quoted several times. Many old favorites are included,
however, although the collection does rely heavily on the contemporary.

Which leads to another observation: the book is impressive in its
emphasis on remarks made by women writers and celebrities (although this
reader was surprised that Maureen McTeer and Judy Rebick have not said
anything Colombo deemed quotable). The same can be said of his inclusion
of quotations from Native people, immigrants, and people of color. The
result is a natural, rich reflection of a whole people—a nation, in
fact. Well indexed, easy to use, and with few obvious errors or
omissions, this is a work without which no collection of Canadian
reference books will be complete.