Fifty Years the Queen: A Tribute to Elizabeth II on Her Golden Jubilee

Nora D.S. Robins is liaison librarian in the University of Calgary
Library.

The year 2002 marks the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth
II’s accession to the throne. Golden Jubilee celebrations will take
place throughout the year and throughout the Commonwealth. As might be
expected, the Golden Jubilee has led to an increase in the number of
biographies about the Queen. Fifty Years the Queen stands out from the
pack because of its emphasis on Elizabeth’s role as Queen of Canada.
(In fact, she will visit Canada in October 2002 as part of the Jubilee
celebrations.)

The authors follow the Queen from her birth to the present. Her Majesty
has made 20 trips to Canada and each of the royal visits is told in
detail as is her relationship with all things Canadian. The
illustrations are extensive. Black-and-white and color photographs,
portraits, royal commemoratives, and royal honors combine to make this a
very handsome book. Indeed, the illustrations—some rarely seen—make
this biography a standout.

The tone is reverential and laudatory, as might be expected from the
authors, both unabashed monarchists. Arthur Bousfield is the editor of
Monarchy Canada magazine and Garry Toffoli is executive director of the
Canadian Royal Heritage Trust. Both have written extensively about the
royal family. An index would have been useful.

All in all, this is a readable and eye-catching tribute to a woman of
grit and dedication.