The White and the Gold

I picked this up when there was a Kindle sale on Thomas Costain books a bit ago. I hadn't been aware of him writing a series on Canada, and it turns out the reason is he didn't. This is the first book in a six-book series, but each volume was written by a different author. More surprising, this wasn......more

This is the first book in a six-volume set that has occupied a space in my library since 1970. Early on, having less free time than I do today, I browsed each volume but never undertook to read them completely. I've now decided to work my way through the entire set,. which may take several years, bo......more

Non-fiction isn't my usual fare, but having read Costain before, I was pretty sure this would be OK, which it was. The only reason I gave it just 3 stars is that it doesn't really compare to good fiction (but it's pretty darn good non-fiction!). The first 80 years of Canadian history was a swashbuck......more

The first installment in the Canadian History Series, this book covers Canada's early colonial days when it was colonized by the French, first landing in Quebec, then settlements slowly crept west and south into New Orleans, Louisiana. Allying, Proselytizing, and warring the various Indians tribes a......more

Extremely well written history of the French colonization of North America. It might seem a bit daunting compared to some of his other non fiction books, like The Conquering Family or The Last Plantagenets but contains a wealth of detail about life in early Quebec. In depth stories about characters......more