The Canadian Military Experience 1867-1983: A Bibliography

Gerald J. Stortz is an assistant professor of history at St. Jerome’s
College, University of Waterloo.

The author, O. A. Cooke, is with the Directorate of History in the Department of National Defence. His bibliography, one of the occasional papers issued by the Directorate, comes at a most opportune time. There has been a revival of interest in military history in recent years, particularly in the Canadian contribution to World War II. Both the popularity of university courses and a spate of published works dealing with Dieppe, Normandy, and related topics attest to this fact. The Canadian Military Experience has an attractive format with large readable print, boldface titles, and sufficient white space to avoid a cluttered look. It is also a utilitarian work arranged both by era and by naval, land, and air forces. In addition to the main entry for each item, the index includes listing by subject, person, branch of service, formations, and units. Such a system ensures that even a researcher with only minimal information can locate the material he needs. The bibliography is reasonably up to date including 1983 imprints. As Cooke cautions in the introduction, he has included only purely military works. Those who wish to explore the social or political effects of military activity will have to look elsewhere. What he has provided, however, within that limitation, is a reference tool that will prove valuable to military history buffs as part of a Canadian history reference collection.