Twenty-First Century Irvings.

Robert W. Sexty is a commerce professor at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland and author of Canadian Business: Issues and Stakeholders.

The first reaction is “not another book on the Irvings.” The author points out that it has been 13 years since the last history/biography and claims that more information is available on the recent Irving generations. The author was confronted with the usual challenge when researching the Irvings: no Irvings to interview and few outsiders willing to be interviewed, and then often only anonymously. But the author got two breaks: J.K Irving eventually agreed to an interview, and he had access to a family genealogical history prepared for the family by researcher Burton Glendenning.

Part 1 covers seven generations from George Irving (1779–1863), who immigrated to New Brunswick, to K.C. Irving’s great-grandchildren, the seventh generation. The account of the first through third generations appears to have relied on Glendenning’s work. The descriptions of the fourth generation, K.C., and the fifth, his three sons, contain few new insights. The sixth generation, referred to as the “Twenty-First Century Irvings,” was described in 30 pages, but the seventh is described in only a little over two pages. An Irving family business tree is given, but its format is confusing and information incomplete.

Part 2, “Fixations,” describes the family and business preoccupations or obsessions. The Irving family’s fixations, that is, principles, ideals, traits, or characteristics, are taught to family members informally through what the author calls the “Irving School of Business.” The fixations include commitment to hard work and entrepreneurship, patience and perseverance, humility, loyalty, respect, attention to detail, and sobriety.

Part 3, “Expectations,” is a mix of topics including “Irvingites” (persons who have worked for Irving), the family’s media relations and image, Irving environmentalism, and Irvings as interactive philanthropists. Succession is discussed in the final chapter, with the author and others speculating on management and control as the fifth generation passes. Most of the book contains anecdotes from interviewees with little evidence of materials from other sources. There is no reference list or index, which will handicap future chroniclers of the Irving family. Irving watchers will have read or heard most of the contents, but those unfamiliar with the family and its enterprises may find the book an easy and interesting read.