Fredericton

Les Harding is author of The Voyages of Lesser Men: Thumbnail Sketches
in Canadian Exploration.

Frederictonwas published to commemorate the bicentenary of New Brunswick’s capital city. The volume makes an adequate souvenir. After a brief introduction, we are presented with 64 pages of full-colour photographs, which include all the important buildings and sights. The reproduction quality of the photographs is excellent. The captions, which can be insipid, are not printed with the photographs but are listed at the front of the volume.

Sherman Hines, one of Canada’s most distinguished photographers, has been named the Canadian and Maritime Photographer of the Year. He holds Master’s status in both the Canadian and American Associations of Professional Photographers and is only the second Canadian ever to be awarded Fellowship in the American Society of Photographers.

Given his credentials, I was expecting more from this volume. Fredericton is a beautiful place and there are many lovely photographs of the city in this book. But none are outstanding. Most are merely “nice.” There are a few shots of boring subdivisions and public buildings that should have been left out.