Spectacular Canada

Hans B. Neumann teaches history at Scarborough College, University of
Toronto.

The word spectacular best describes this glossy, high-quality souvenir
book. Each province or territory is covered in a separate chapter. The
text is lucid and well organized, and—a first in this genre—the
Yukon and Northwest Territories receive equal billing with the
provinces.

The book’s photographs include a judicious mix of urban, rural, and
nature scenes. Canada is presented as what it is—a modern,
industrialized country blessed with breathtaking natural scenery.

Some of the photo captions could have been more explicit. One caption
reads “rugged landscape near Thunder Bay [Ontario]”; in fact, the
landscape is the awesome Ouimet Canyon, which is located in an easily
accessible provincial park.

The publisher would do well to produce subsequent editions with text
and captions in the languages of our most frequent overseas visitors.
One would be hard pressed to recommend a finer pictorial souvenir.