Wolfville and Grand Pré

Olaf Uwe Janzen is an associate professor of history at Sir Wilfred
Grenfell College, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Brian Cuthbertson is an experienced historian who knows the importance
of presenting local history within a wider context, of maintaining a
balance of description and explanation, and of supporting the text with
an abundance of illustrations. The publisher also deserves a tip of the
hat for the quality of the paper used in this volume, which enhances
rather than impairs the reproduction of its illustrations. The result is
a well-written, handsomely laid-out book that respects academic rules of
analysis while still entertaining its readers.

Wolfville and Grand Pré is organized into seven chapters. Six of those
chapters provide the social, cultural, and economic history of the two
communities from their Acadian origins through the Acadians’
deportation, the arrival of the New England Planters, the agricultural
prosperity of the 19th century, the trauma of two wars, the Depression
in the 1930s, and the continued changes and growth to the present day. A
major theme of this narrative is the founding and development of what
became Acadia University, but woven into the text are such other themes
as women’s, sports, and cultural history. The last chapter guides
readers on a walking tour of both communities, complete with maps and
photographs of the principal architectural and historical landmarks. The
volume’s slightly oversized dimensions (207mm x 234 mm) allow the
photographs and illustrations to be shown to advantage. Wolfville and
Grand Pré is a model of what an inexpensive local history should be
like.