Recommended Books & Films

Canadian History -- A basic primer on the country's complex history is The Penguin History of Canada, by Kenneth McNaught. The Canadians, by Andrew H. Malcolm (St. Martin's Press), is an insightful and highly readable rumination on what it is to be Canadian, written by the former New York Times Canada bureau chief.

Peter C. Newman's intriguing history of the Hudson's Bay Company, Caesars of the Wilderness, begins with the early fur-trading days. The Great Adventure, by David Cruise and Alison Griffiths (St. Martin's Press), tells the story of the Mounties and their role in the subduing of the Canadian west.

To learn about Canada's Native peoples, read Native Peoples and Cultures of Canada, by Alan D. McMillan (Douglas & McIntyre), which includes both history and current issues. The classic book on Canada's indigenous peoples, The Indians of Canada (University of Toronto Press), was written in 1932 by Diamond Jenness. The author's life is also an amazing story, as he spent years living with various indigenous peoples across the country.

Before his death in 2004, Pierre Berton was the preeminent popular historian of Canada. He wrote nearly 50 books on Canada's rich past, all well researched and well written. His books range on most Canadian subjects, from the days of the Hudson's Bay Company and the fur trade to ruminations on what it means to be Canadian in the 21st century.

Natural History -- Two good general guides to the natural world in western Canada are the Audubon Society's Pacific Coast, by Evelyn McConnaghey, and Western Forests, by Stephen Whitney (both published by Knopf). Audubon Society's Eastern Forests by Ann Sutton is a good handbook to the ecology of the eastern woods.

Read about the natural history of extinct wildlife in A Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History, by Stephen Jay Gould (Norton), which details the discovery and scientific ramifications of the fossil beds found in Yoho National Park.

Outdoor Pursuits -- Edward Weber's Diving and Snorkeling Guide to the Pacific Northwest (Pisces) is a good place to start if you're planning a diving holiday in the Northwest.

Mountain Bike Adventures in Southwest British Columbia, by Greg Maurer and Tomas Vrba (Mountaineers), is just one of a cascade of books on off-road biking in western Canada.

The Canadian Rockies Access Guide (Lone Pine) by John Dodd and Gail Helgason is an excellent resource for hikers and cross-country skiers in the national parks of Alberta.

Nova Scotia & the Maritimes by Bike: 21 Tours Geared for Discovery (Mountaineers) by Walter Sienko offers sensible cycling advice and rout maps for exploring the Atlantic provinces on two wheels.

Fiction & Memoir -- Alice Munro's short fiction captures the soul of what it is to be Canadian in brief, though often wrenching, prose. Another good selection of short stories as well as poetry is Fresh Tracks: Writing the Western Landscape (Pamela Banting, editor), a collection of writings by western Canadian authors. Margaret Atwood is one of Canada's best-known writers. While much of her fiction involves dark futuristic worlds, some of her novels, such as Cat's Eye, take place in contemporary Canada.

The frontier-era conflicts in southern Alberta form the backdrop for the award-winning The Englishman's Boy, by Guy Vanderhaeghe, an atmospheric western with a story that travels from Fort Macleod to Hollywood.

Vancouver and southwestern British Columbia are home to a number of noted international authors. Generation X chronicler Douglas Coupland lives here, as does Jane Rule, author of Desert of the Heart. Science-fiction writer William Gibson's dark vision of the cyber-future attracts a large young audience. W. P. Kinsella (Shoeless Joe) and mystery writer Laurali R. Wright also make their homes here. Wright's Karl Alberg mystery series usually takes place in and around Vancouver.

Canada in Film

Canadian filmmakers include Toronto-based Atom Egoyan, whose films include The Sweet Hereafter, Ararat, and Exotica. David Cronenberg is also based in Toronto; his films include dark but stylish horror films such as The Fly and Dead Ringers and offbeat literary films such as Naked Lunch and M. Butterfly. Denys Arcand is a leading French-Canadian filmmaker whose films include The Barbarian Invasions, Jesus of Montréal, Love and Human Remains, and Decline of the American Empire.

British Columbia is the center of filmmaking in Canada, in part because making films here is perceived to be cheaper than making films in Hollywood. Many films use Vancouver as a backdrop, but rarely as itself. That is, Vancouver stands in for any urban North American center. One of the most noted productions in the Vancouver area was television's The X-Files, which for its first 4 years was shot in and around the city (Vancouver doubles as many American cities, notably Washington, D.C.). Numerous Hollywood films have been shot in the province: Legends of the Fall, Little Women, Jumanji, and Rambo: First Blood give an idea of the range of films done here.

Likewise, the Alberta Rockies and foothills are frequently used in films to represent a generalized Western backdrop. Brokeback Mountain, Legends of the Fall, Unforgiven, and The Assassination of Jesse James are recent films shot in Alberta.