History of the Book in Canada, Volume I, Beginnings to 1840 (review)

Reviewed by: History of the Book in Canada, Volume 1, Beginnings to 1840 Gregory Klages History of the Book in Canada, Volume 1, Beginnings to 1840. Edited by Patricia Lockhart Fleming, Gilles Gallichan, and Yvan Lamonde. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004. Pp. 540, $75.00 The first volume produced by the History of the Book in Canada Project (HBiCP), a significant national interdisciplinary research effort, is part of a turn by historians in several countries to write national histories of the book. The aims of the group are to 'define a field of study, to set goals for further investigation, and to provide foundations for international [End Page 553] exchange.' As part of this country's contribution, the HBiCP is planning three print volumes covering the period from the 'beginnings' to 1980, and developing five databases on Canadian publications. Beginnings to 1840, the first volume in the ambitious print series, consists of over seventy short essays and 'case studies' written by scholars from across the country. The contributions are concerned primarily with identifying books that were in circulation, discussing the socio-political and economic conditions of printing, and providing 'institutional' histories of collectors, libraries, and printers. The volume does most of what it promises. It identifies opportunities for future researchers and provides a comprehensive basis from which to investigate early Canadian printing and reading. Many of the essays point to gaping holes in current research knowledge and suggest the potential of untapped archival resources. Such a significant undertaking as this project, however, faces substantial challenges, many of which have not been overcome in the first volume. It is likely that the lack of scholarship on books and printing in Canada has led many of the contributors to Beginnings to 1840 to offer only limited arguments, if any at all. Perhaps towards establishing foundational knowledge, most have opted to provide detailed chronologies or descriptions of institutional, personal, or regional histories. In this respect, the volume provides an excellent reference. It may not, however, inspire anyone to conclude that research on the history of the book in Canada offers a hotbed of argument upon which a career can be built. Scholarship in the field might be encouraged if the volume included more information about editorial choices. While the rationale for some of the book's seven thematic sections, such as 'Printing in British North America,' seem obvious (if not monstrous) in their parameters, others that seem necessary are missing. If the history of the book in New France must be subsumed under 'Print in a New World,' it would be useful to know if this is a reflection of the editors' vision or a necessity dictated by limited scholarship. Similarly, it is unclear what the rationale is for separating essays in sections such as 'Print and Authority' from those in 'Circulation of Books and Print.' Explanation of the editorial decisions, as a view into the overarching assumptions and interests in current scholarship, would be a great boon to readers attempting to expand their understanding of the history of the book in Canada. Perhaps the greatest challenge facing this series is a sense of purpose. Despite the definition implied by its title, the HBiCP is not interested just in books, but in print culture. The project defines print culture as books in codex form, newspapers, magazines, forms, printed music, and [End Page 554] illustrations. While the breadth of this definition is intriguing, its materialist focus misses a critical aspect of print culture in North America before 1840. Before the nineteenth century, the introduction and spread of print compelled radical changes to ideas of communication and 'reading.' As observed by contributors such as Cornelius J. Jaenen and Laura Murray, during this period the reading of print took place within a complex web of other forms of symbolic literacy, such as the creation of wampum belts and the interpretation of animal tracks or atmospheric events. Clearly, as the perspective from which to understand the significance and operation of print culture in North America before 1840, a materialist view of the printed page offers a limited understanding. The first volume of the History of the Book in Canada is...

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