«Maclean's» Canada's Century: An Illustrated History of the People and Events That Shaped Our Identity

J.L. Granatstein, Distinguished Research Professor of History Emeritus,
York University, served as Director of the Canadian War Museum from 1998
to 2000. He is the author of Who Killed Canadian History? and co-author
of The Canadian 100: The 100 Most Infl

Maclean’s has a special place in Canadian journalism. Ever since 1905,
it has told Canadians about themselves and their world. The magazine has
changed name and format regularly, but its goal has remained constant.
Recently, the magazine’s publishers have taken to mining the back
issues, producing books on Canadians and sport and Canadians at war.
This reissue of Canada’s Century (1999) with a new preface by Anthony
Wilson-Smith and a new cover features brief introductions by Carl
Mollins and Peter C. Newman and articles from the magazine that look at
politics, war, sport, entertainment, immigration, growing up, and a
dozen other subjects.

By definition, such a book must be patchy and incomplete, but the
pleasure here is twofold. First, the photography is superb, instantly
evocative images that recall an event or era. Then, there is real
pleasure in reading the writings (unfortunately sometimes reduced to
snippets) of some of the country’s best journalists—Ron Haggart,
Sidney Katz, Ralph Allen, Lionel Shapiro, and many others. Good writing
always retains its freshness, and Maclean’s always had—and
has—good writing.

This is great fun, then, a romp through times good and bad. It’s not
serious history, but it is history from a special Canadian perspective.