A Maritimer's Miscellany: Fascinating Facts About Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Randall White is the author of Voice of Region: On the Long Journey to
Senate Reform in Canada, Too Good to Be True: Toronto in the 1920s, and
Global Spin: Probing the Globalization Debate.

For most readers, the last word in the title benefits from the subtitle. And I would quibble with author/broadcaster Clary Croft’s frequent use of “Maritimer” considering that much of his material is heavily weighted toward Nova Scotia. Biased New Brunswicker that I am, I tallied up all 369 articles and concluded that 191 were on Nova Scotia, compared to 69 for New Brunswick, 47 for Prince Edward Island, and 62 that reflected all three. Croft’s bibliography reflects the same imbalance: 81 Nova Scotia sources compared to 11 for New Brunswick, nine for the Island, and 30 that could be classified as more general. Every one of the nine chapters shows this weight. The first, “Shaped by the Wind and Waves,” has a ratio of 24-5-2-8; Chapter 5, “Hard Times in the Maritimes,” shows 38-8-8-8; while chapter 7, “Making a Living,” has a weighting of 34-17-11-10. Perhaps this analysis is unfair and explained by the fact that this material is based on “little vignettes (each no more than 30 or 40 seconds long)” from radio spots Croft aired over several years for the Halifax Information Radio Station.

What can one say in 40 seconds, especially over the radio, and how much of it would be remembered by a usually half-listening audience? More positively, many listeners would recognize many of these mostly historical tidbits and would appreciate being reminded of them. And a few of these brief talks, perhaps quite a few, convey the sense of how so much has changed in the three provinces and how much has remained the same. One thing for sure: Croft’s impressive collection of Maritime potpourri conveys one strong message: he loves the region and its rich history.