BOOK REVIEW ESSAY

R. Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith. Origins: History to Confederation, 5th ed. Scarborough, ON: Nelson, 2004. xxi + 493 pp. $56.95 paper. R. Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith. Destinies: History Since Confederation, 5th ed. Scarborough, ON: Nelson, 2004. xx + 586 pp. $56.95 paper. R. Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith. Journeys: A History of Canada. Scarborough, ON: Nelson, 2004. xxv + 630 pp. $56.95 paper. The central theme Origins/Destinies and Journeys--the two-volume and one-volume versions of Francis, Jones, and Smith's history of Canada--is continuity amidst change. Although Canada has undergone immense change, the authors conclude, in many respects the basic themes of the country's history remain operative today. The proportions are different, but four major groups continue to make up Canada's population: Native peoples, French-speaking Canadians, English-speaking Canadians, and immigrants (Journeys 596). Likewise, French-English conflict, relations with the First Nations, regionalism, intergovernmental affairs, and the influence of external metropolitan centers continue to define the peculiarly Canadian features of the country's history. However much Canada has shared with the rest of the world--in terms of the global impact of capitalism, the industrial revolution, imperialism, transoceanic migration, consumerism, TV the Internet, and the emergence of postindustrial societies--these factors make its story distinct and interesting. They also make it difficult to tell. Francis, Jones, and Smith's series thus deserves praise for its overall success meeting this challenge. The two-volume Origins/Destinies is a mature textbook, now its fifth edition. Its careful approach to the demands of writing a history textbook--in both pointing to a common Canadian story and giving proper due to diverse peoples and regions--will effectively serve a variety of approaches to survey courses. Origins/Destinies is confident its depiction and interpretation of the various elements of history, with a core political and economic narrative and adequate coverage of social and cultural topics. In addition, it is generally balanced, fair-minded, and clear its treatment of controversial issues. No textbook series can cover all the relevant issues, or please people of all historiographical persuasions, but this one is irenic enough to serve most. That said, there always are things to reconsider for the next edition. One general suggestion is to include a bit more comparative commentary and coverage, particularly of the United States and other colonial societies (and, later, independent nations) Central and South America. These or New World societies shared such experiences as imperialist frontier conflict with Aboriginal peoples; slavery; the transfer, mutation, and intermingling of Old World inheritances; and, as settler societies, mass immigration from Europe (and, to a lesser extent, Asia) during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Such comparisons need not take up large amounts of space, but they would help to further contextualize the story, especially for American students. A second suggestion relates to the ancillary features of the series and their connection to the general narrative. Some of the entries work better than others. In particular, some of the Where Historians Disagree essays fall flat, because they do not adequately convey the significance of why the historians disagree (they have a she said, he said quality), or because the disagreements seem detached from the larger chapter. Students may become frustrated by the lack of clear relevance and learn to skip over them. The authors might cut some of these entries, add material to others, and general more effectively (i.e., more overtly) connect them to their own narrative and interpretive choices the larger text. …

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