Treasures of the National Archives of Canada

Andrew Thomson is a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of
Guelph.

The idea of a coffee-table book that explores the holdings of the
National Archives raises the immediate fear of photographs of old
documents, a dry catalogue of the obscure and dusty. At times this book
slips into such a trap, but in the main it is an entertaining and
informative book that exposes the reader to a wide range of the archives
collection. The photographs are supplemented with brief, well-written
commentary from experts in the various fields.

The first three chapters of the book are particularly strong. The
chapter on maps, charts, and engineering records incorporates a
selection of the early maps of North America and detailed architectural
drawings of some of Canada’s most famous public buildings. Chapters on
the collection of paintings—and especially the chapter on Canada’s
stamps—employ the natural beauty of the objects and informed
commentary to great effect. Surprisingly, even the document collections
are impressively illustrated.

As the Archives prepares to move to a new home, this book is a valuable
reminder of the breadth and diversity of its collection.