As part of Oxford University Press’s multi-volume illustrated history of Canada, these two books form an accessible introduction to the history of the areas covered. Aside from the similar format – each has more than 150 black and white and colour illustrations – differences between the regions and the approaches of the two authors have created two very different books.

William Morrison has authored nine books and teaches history at the University of Northern British Columbia. In True North he undertakes a difficult task. The North is what was left over after the rest of Canada was divided up. It has an extremely varied geography and culture and 4,000 years of history. To condense this effectively into a popular history of 200 pages of photographs and words is almost impossible. Within these limitations, however, Morrison has done a fine job, telling his stories in a lively and interesting fashion and introducing some vivid quotations from participants. The Mounties, the Klondikers, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, and even Dan McGrew come alive in these pages. More importantly, the Dene and the Inuit are given their rightful historical place.

On the other hand, space limitations mean that some historical aspects are only sketchily presented. For example, the chapter on exploration omits such important figures as Parry, Ross, Back, and Rae. Conversely, the stories of the explorers included are generally so well known that the history amounts to little more than a restatement of common knowledge. This is the case with the tale of Franklin’s last expedition which, unfortunately, also contains minor errors: the graves on Beechey Island have been known since 1850 and there are three of them not two.

The most interesting sections of True North are the last chapters, which deal with recent developments in the North and outline the economic pressures and responses that are shaping the future. In addition, Morrison’s assessment of the First Nation’s perspective and his description of their developing role in the government of their land is fresh and alone will make this book a useful teaching text in southern high schools.

The illustrations are varied and striking, ranging from staid politicians to a frozen Mastodon head. Occasionally they appear to have only a tenuous relationship to the accompanying text, but the author admits that some were chosen only because of their beauty. As a general introduction to the North, and given that many people will already know more about some aspect of the area’s history than is presented here, True North is a worthwhile achievement.

In Forging the Prairie West John Herd Thompson, a professor of history and director of Canadian Studies at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, covers the history of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.

Inevitably in a series of this type, there is some overlap. Topics such as the fur trade are covered in both books. However, Thompson’s text is the more detailed. For example, the development of a modern western political voice is examined in depth and related to changing cultural and economic factors. This gives the impression of the Prairies being a much more coherent, political, economic, and historical unit than the north. This is an accurate perception and makes Forging the Prairie West a more satisfying read than True North. However, the fine detail does make the former a less accessible work for the general reader – this is emphasized by a lack of quotations similar to the vivid vignettes of life that pepper Morrison’s book.

Thompson has also approached his illustrations differently. Rather than using the pictures to simply decorate his words, he has attempted to make them read as a record in their own right. This is not to say that they do not fit with the text; in fact they are generally more closely tied to them than those in True North, but they do add an extra dimension to the reader’s understanding. Both new and well-known images are accompanied by an extended caption that puts them in perspective, provides information not available in the text, and in some cases, corrects misconceptions that have been blithely repeated for decades in many standard histories.

Both volumes are interesting and readable, auguring well for the series as a whole. Their obvious scholarship, combined with their extensive, well-chosen illustrations, will make them attractive as individual volumes to those who want an introduction to a particular region, and as part of a series to those who are looking for a new, general history of Canada.