Chief Engineer: Life of a Nation Builder-Sandford Fleming

Maurice J. Scarlett is the editor of Consequences of Offshore Oil and
Gas: Norway, Scotland, and Newfoundland.

A man of vast energy and little formal education but with substantial
and varied talents, Sir Sandford Fleming helped form our nation in an
age when there were boundless opportunities for self-made men. He
deserves to be better known to the general public. This readable
biography, illustrated with good archival photography, does a competent
job of showing the many facets of the man, his difficulties and
achievements, and something of the world in which he moved.

The text is devoted mainly to the major railway engineering enterprises
with which Fleming was identified. There is discussion of the commercial
rivalries, the political manoeuvring, the backbiting, and the growing
social recognition, internationally as well as within Canada.

A clear sharp mind, hard work, boundless energy, versatility, and no
doubt luck made Sir Sandford Fleming a major figure in Canadian history.
His biographer is to be commended for bringing these qualities to life.