Historical Atlas of Canada: Canada's History Illustrated with Original Maps

William A. Waiser is a professor of history at the University of
Saskatchewan. He is the author of Saskatchewan’s Playground: A History
of Prince Albert National Park and Park Prisoners: The Untold Story of
Western Canada’s National Parks, 1915–1946

The Historical Atlas of Canada is a truly handsome book, dedicated to
telling the history of Canada since its early beginnings, through a wide
selection of original maps. Geographer Derek Hayes has organized the
chapters around some 75 topics, regions, developments, or themes, such
as the coming of the English to Hudson Bay in 1670, the War of 1812, and
early Toronto. Each chapter is richly illustrated with several original
maps from the particular period (many of them in color), and each map is
accompanied by a brief, narrative text that places it in context. Some
of the maps are difficult to read, let alone decipher, but they will
reward persistence. In fact, the maps are a delight in themselves; it is
fascinating to see how the geography of the country was first conceived
and how that understanding evolved over time. The collection also
greatly benefits from Hayes’s passion for maps and mapmaking; the
controversial map of Vinland and the Aboriginal maps of Western Canada
are particularly interesting. The only disappointment is that the author
did not include more material from the 20th century.