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Across the Land... a Canadian Journey of Discovery

by Barry D. Stewart

266 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-0104; ISBN 1-4120-2276-2; US$23.50, C$28.00, EUR19.50, £13.50

Be ready to take a journey across Canada where you will encounter the people, places, history and idiosyncracies of our great country, having some fun along the way.

Read more!

about the book      about the author      excerpt      catalogue info

About the Book The reader is taken on a fascinating cross-Canada journey, visiting the people, geography, history and idiosyncrasies of this great country. The author acts as your travelling companion and tour guide. Buckle up your seat belt and prepare for a fun-filled trip. You will visit all of the major traveler's destinations, but also many out-of-the-way, special corners of the nation. You will learn many interesting vignettes of Canadian history and pick up local folklore and anecdotes along the way. At the end, you'll want to head out yourself to see first-hand some new parts of Canada that intrigue you. There are 14 maps to help you follow the route of the journey. In the appendices are 'top-ten' lists and a trivia quiz to remind you of the trip and to recall the experiences.

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About the Author Barry Stewart is a recently retired business executive who now lives in Calgary, Alberta. He has lived in five of the provinces and has worked in and traveled across all ten provinces and three territories. He has also worked and traveled widely outside of Canada. These extensive experiences provide him with the ideal background to describe and discuss all the dimensions of the country. Be prepared to take an interesting journey of discovery across the land with him as your guide.

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From Across the Land: a Canadian Journey of Discovery

Foreword

We are about to take a fascinating journey together - across all of Canada, visiting essentially every corner of the land as we take in its beauty, happenings, history and traditions. We'll also observe some of the idiosyncrasies of our country, having a lot of fun along the way.

Before you get in the car and join me for the trip, you probably want to know who I am and why I want you to come along.

I have a love for Canada. Having been born here and lived here for most of my 60-plus years, I have come to see it and appreciate it for all of its virtues and anomalies. This is my personal perspective of our country. If it is targeted at anyone in particular, it is Canadians who have not experienced many parts of the country. I often find that people can develop some erroneous, even strange, perspectives about other regions when they have not visited them first-hand.

I have lived in five provinces. I was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I completed high school and university in Ontario. During my career I lived in Alberta, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Ontario. I have conducted business in and traveled around all of the ten provinces and the three territories. In talking with others, I realize that not many Canadians can say that. That's a shame, as our country has so much to show in its geographic and community diversity, all within a common identity.

I have also lived outside of Canada, in the United States and South America, and have traveled for business and pleasure in Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Australia. These experiences have allowed me to see Canada from an external perspective and through the eyes of others.

My approach to writing this book is to have a dialogue with you, the reader, about a trip from coast to coast that we are taking together. It is an imaginary journey in the sense that it is a composite of a number of trips that I have taken, and some of the experiences that I will relate have been gathered over a lifetime. Be assured that I have been to every place that I describe. I have also driven over 25,000 kilometers around the country during the creation of this book to update my information.

Our route will be a bit tortuous at times, since we are covering the country in a one-way journey. Maps are provided for each chapter to help keep track of where we are at any time.

Our dialogue will touch on three dimensions: a cross-Canada tour, Canada's history, and some of the country's issues and dynamics. The structure will read like a travelogue, but it is not full of all the detailed descriptions that can be found in major tour guides or weekend newspaper articles. It is an overview, augmented by specific fascinating or unusual sights. We will uncover some of our history; there are descriptions of historical events and many local stories. I am a reader of history and a collector of antique maps and books which will show through. Our historical discussions will focus on the area we are visiting at any point in time; thus they will not be chronological. I believe you may be surprised how colourful and interesting our history can be. I will not provide any extensive discussion of social or political issues, but it is impossible to travel across this country and observe its people and events without commenting on some of the things we see and hear. I think of myself as a typical middle-of-the-road Canadian, with a quiet passion for the country, a conservative fiscal attitude, a somewhat liberal social attitude and a centralist voting habit.

My commentary will be mostly positive since that is how I feel about the country. However, I will also describe the oddities, the irregularities, and the various foibles and follies that we encounter along the way. I believe that a few of these observations will amuse you. As commentators and comedians like to say, "You couldn't make this stuff up, even if you tried." I'll express that thought more than once.

This is a personal narrative, full of experiences, observations and general commentary. It is by necessity selective and anecdotal- Canada is so large and diverse in its cultural heritage, geography and history. I have spoken to many people during my travels, but the thoughts that I express are my own.

I hope you enjoy our trip together. More importantly, I hope it motivates you to go and actually see some new part of our country. With that, let's get started. Canada, here we come!

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Catalogue Information

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