Muddy York Mud: Scandal and Scurrility in Upper Canada

Dennis Blake is a high-school history teacher with the Halton Board of
Education.

Chris Raible is a Toronto historian of some renown, having worked and
published in the public-history field for some years. In this book, he
brings the mystery, romance, and scandal of Upper Canada’s
pre-Confederation days to life as he explores and seeks to re-create the
cultural and political milieu of 1820s York. With Mackenzie’s
notorious “Types Riot” as his focus, Raible examines the underlying
cultural currents that made elite accommodation such a difficult
accomplishment in the very small world of York.

Heavy on quotes, and following the style of some British cultural
historians, the author wields a heavy historical brush, slapping on
layer after layer of contextual paint. The result is a marvelous
historical tome that illuminates a period of Canadian history too often
treated like a poor cousin in our historiography. The generalist will
enjoy this book for the ripping good yarn that it is. The specialist
will find intriguing the strong and forthright interpretations it offers
up for debate.