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In 1903 Leonidas Hubbard was commissioned by an outdoors magazine to explore Labrador by canoe.Joined by his best friend, Dillon Wallace, and a Scots-Cree guide, George Elson, Hubbard hoped to make a name for himself as an adventurer.But plagued by poor judgment and bad luck, his party turned back and Hubbard died of starvation just thirty miles from camp.Two years later, Hubbard's widow, Mina, and Wallace returned to Labrador, leading rival expeditions to complete the original trek and fix blame for the earlier failure.Their race made headlines from New York to Nova Scotia-and it makes fascinating reading today in this widely acclaimed reconstruction of the epic saga.The authors draw on contemporary accounts and their own journeys in Labrador to evoke the intense drama to men and women pushed beyond the limits of endurance in one of the great true adventures of our century.Amazon.com Review
In 1903 Leonidas Hubbard set out to cross the Ungava-LabradorPeninsula, and to forge a name for himself as an adventure writer. Hetook a friend, a guide, a canoe, a ton of equipment, and scads ofnaive hope. Months later, the friend and guide staggered out of thesnow, and Hubbard starved to death in his tent, too weak to attemptthe 30-mile trek to safety. And that's just Part I. James WestDavidson and John Rugge narrate with simple dignity, making vividlytangible the wretchedness of mosquitoes, the panic of no food, and therocky tangle of the Labrador wilderness. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Lost in Labrador
The authors not only present a well written history of an ill conceived adventure;they actually "re-created" each harrowing step, mile after mile canoeing and portaging over the same route. In a manner of speaking it is a well written "first hand" account of a tragic mis-adventure from a century past. Well worth reading and always relevant to those who enjoy the wilder places in the north.

The finest adventure tale ever written
I am an adventure traveler and canoeist, and an avid reader of adventure writing.There are a number of books that purport to tell the story of the ill-prepared Labrador Adventure, but it was told best, last and forever in the book, "Great Heart:The History of a Labrador Adventure."It is written by experienced canoeists and guides James West Davidson and John Rugge.These talented authors create atmosphere, characterization and drama that is unforgettable.I have returned to the book many times.Every canoeist, from novice to expert, should also own their other book, The Complete Wilderness Paddler.The authors use the story of a wild and wooly trip down the Class IV-V Moisie River in Canada as a way to teach everything from how to plan a trip to how to survive the torture of black flies.It is hilarious, brilliant, insightful, genius!You can read it over and over and learn new things about canoe camping.Even if you'd never set a paddle in a river, you'll love the graceful writing of Davidson and Rugge.

S.K. Lapius
This is a great read. There is little written about this turn of the century, "last frontier" of North America where even today natives will tell you that you can't get there from here. The grueling hardship and trajedy are well portrayed - as are the portraits of each individual. It truly takes the 3 books written about this seminal journey and adds information from the diaries and other writings of the various figures involved; and, this is artfully done by shifting voices. The book flows well and holds suspense to a surprising degree even to those who know the eventual outcome.

Good adventure story
This book tells the story of two expeditions across Labrador. The first took place in 1903 by three men, on which one of them, Leonidas Hubbard, died. Three years later, his wife, Mina, made the same journey successfully. These accounts are well written and make good use of the original journals.

Annoying novelistic style
As you can see from other reviews, most people seem to really like this book. I, however, got a few pages in and found I had no use for it, even though I generally go for just this sort of story. The authors of "Great Heart" use a novelistic narrative style, filling in from their imagination all manner of little details that they obviously could have no way of knowing. I'm apparently enough of a purist that I want my narratives based on reliable source material, not imagination. When an author begins to fictionalize, how can one ever know where the boundary between fact and fiction lies? This doesn't seem to have bothered most of the reviewers, but you might want to stay away from the book if you're similarly picky. ... Read more

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A fascinating look at the American artist who introduced home industries to St Anthony, Newfoundland. ... Read more

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The Captain James Cook of standard history books is asuccessful navigator and cartographer who brought many of the islandsof the south Pacific under British influence. We associate him withAustralia, Easter Island, the Marquesas, and Hawaii, where he met hisend.

What we don't know about Captain Cook is that he learned and perfectedhis skills of cartography mapping the coasts of Nova Scotia andNewfoundland. More interesting to Canadians, he was present at two ofthe most significant battles that shaped our history: the Battle ofLouisbourg and the Battle of Quebec.

To Go Upon Discovery: James Cook and Canada, from 1758 to 1779, is afascinating read as it takes the reader from Cook's humble beginningsin Yorkshire - in a town that had yet to feel the changes of theIndustrial Revolution and was relatively unchanged from the time ofthe Middle Ages -through his brief schooling and clerkship in a shopto his apprenticeship as a seaman.

Cook's life was - until his untimely death - an amalgam of commonsense, hard work, good luck, and providence. He rose through the ranksof the Royal Navy steadily, achieving at an early age positions oftenreserved for men of less humble birth.

Cook's years in Canada were pivotal times in our history. Althoughassociated more commonly with his more famous explorations of theSouth Pacific, Cook's work in mapping the coasts of Nova Scotia andNewfoundland were extremely important. Important, because throughthese undertakings Cook transformed himself into an excellentcartographer. Equally important, because his maps of the coast ofNewfoundland were the most accurate until modern times.

Cook's is a fascinating life and now, with Victor Suthren'scontribution, that life has been realised more fully. ... Read more

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"New Labrador Papers of Captain George Cartwright" presents new documents written by Captain George Cartwright (1739-1819) that stand alongside his famous journal as important source material for the early colonial period in the Atlantic region. An English merchant in Labrador between 1770-86, Cartwright published a fascinating account of these years in "A Journal of Transactions and Events during a Residence of nearly Sixteen Years on the Coast of Labrador" (1792). The new Cartwright papers add to this work with material of a more specific nature such as instructions for trading, for building houses, sealing, and trapping, and with further information on subjects ranging from the early Inuit, the southern Labrador caribou herd, eighteenth century medicines, the original portrait of George Cartwright, and a second portrait of an Inuit woman. At a technical level, the papers are of value for what they tell us about early methods and materials. They are also important primary sources for research in early architecture, ethnohistory, material culture, and Inuit studies. ... Read more

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Based on extensive historical research and fieldwork in Labrador over many years, A Way of Life that Does not Exist brings to light the scale of the tragedies that have overtaken the Innu, giving rise to international human rights concerns.

Colin Samson looks in detail at Innu relations with the Canadian state, developers, explorers, missionaries, educators, health-care professionals, and the justice system. Although the Innu have lost land and lives in the attempts to assimilate them, Samson demonstrates that many have also resisted the official state policy of "extinguishment" through both political channels and by maintaining a resilient belief in their distinctiveness and their attachment to the land. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1855 ... Read more

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In the late spring of 1903 Leonidas Hubbard, an ambitious young writer, Dillon Wallace, a forty-year-old New York attorney, and George Elson, an Indian guide with no firsthand knowledge of their destination, set out on an adventure. Beset by delays, the men paddle past their intended route. When in early September they finally glimpse the vast waters of Michikamau from atop an unknown mountain, the cold winds have already begun. With almost no food left, the three begin a desperate struggle against starvation and the quickening pace of a cruel winter, heading homeward in a race for their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A haunting portrait of friends lost and friendship found
A deeply moving misadventure. In getting lost, these three men discovered the soul of Labrador as well as the true meaning of friendship and survival. This book is a classic.

The lure of the Labrador wild
I have read this book several times, and would recomend it to anyone that enjoys an adventure story. I enjoy it even more than most as Leonidas Hubbard was my grandfathers first cousin.This book has been almost required reading in our family,(Hubbard).I hope the publisher will reprint it as we have many family members looking for a copy of the book.

Tired..Weak..Hungry..They fought until the end.Ive been ther
I have read a lot of teen adventure books. I recently read this one while I was on a rugged boys canoe camp trip. We went on a 7 week trip with 12 men to labrador. I purchased this bookbecause it was nonfiction and it was saying how these 3 brave, adventurousmen took a trip similar to the area i'll be going to. It talked about howmothernature just (threre's really no word for it but...)Destroys thesepeople and they fight back with courage and hope in succeeding this rawadventure. The three in progress of there adventure take care of eachother and keep eachother alive nad in this doing they become better than greatfriends almost brothers. I really don't want to ruin the book for you, buti suggest so strongly that you get a copy of this book, and oh yea thebeginning of the bookreally is boring because it tells you of how theygot to labrador in 1902 (they didn't have cars).

Thank God the author lived and his book is being reprinted!
I cannot say enough about the content and the form of this book.Itbeautifully informs the reader not only of the enthusiasm of two would-bewilderness pioneers, but also of the errors they did not know they had madealong the way to a tragic end.I get the feeling that the author, whowrote the book (according to the introduction) as a tribute to his lostmate, never overlooks or overplays any of the events that took place in thethen-unchartered terrain of eastern Laborador.The author also makes plainthat the voyage ended his youthful naivete by teaching him the necessity ofrespecting the natural world and of remembering our loves who slowly butsurely disappear from our lives.

In short, Lure Of the Laborador Wild,despite its drab title, is an engrossing work.It is quiet, clearlywritten and, in a matter-of-fact way, terrifying.It towers far above allother nonfiction adventure books I have read over the past ten years.

A true story of courage and friendship
Poorly prepared, two friends, and their half-indian manservant "George", decide to travel deep in to the interior of Labrador.The hardship they endure and the hard choices they make are a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit. This book gives great insight into what life was like in eastern Canada at the turn of this century. ... Read more

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History provides some interesting case studies of what happens when trade barriers come down. Among them is the story told in this book of Newfoundland's integration into Canada in the aftermath of the province's 1948 referendum. Raymond B. Blake takes a refreshing approach to this episode in Canadian history, avoiding the old shibboleths of conspiracy and local nationalism, and instead making a down-to-earth study of economic and political events.

Canadians at Last explores the efforts of the many Canadians and Newfoundlanders who tried to make Confederation work. Blake argues that Canada wanted union, to remove any uncertainty in its dealings with Newfoundland over civil aviation, defence, and trade. Newfoundland opted for union largely because Canada's burgeoning social welfare system promised a more secure existence. Investigating the complex problems they encountered, Blake details changes intrade, fishing, and manufacturing and in the political process in Newfoundland. He also looks at the introduction and impact of social programs, and the terms of the US military presence there. Finally, he demonstrates that by 1957 Newfoundland's integration into Canada was essentially complete; it was being treated the same as the other provinces, subject to the terms of union.

By beginning with the 1949 Confederation rather than the activities leading up to it, and by thoroughly documenting areas of agreement, contention, and neglect, Blake writes a solid, contemporary history of Newfoundland's integration into Canada. Virtually the only complete academic treatment of this subject, Canadians at Last offers much basic information that so far has not been made available.

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Newfoundlanders have long and lustily sung their folksongs, and the tradition remains strong today. Despite modern influences, the old songs persist, mixed with new songs that are composed to record the events of our time. This is the first major collection of Newfoundland folksongs compiled and edited by native Newfoundlanders. It concentrates on songs of local composition largely ignored by earlier collectors and presents a significant number of songs never before published.

For most of the last decade Lehr and Best have been travelling around the island recording the voices and favourite songs of anyone, young and old, who would perform. Recordings took place in family kitchens, on stage heads, and in trap stores while the singer knitted twine or repaired lobster pots, aboard ships at anchor or en route to some small deserted harbour. Humming engines, blowing oilstoves, or clattering supper dishes provided accompaniment.

The 120 songs collected here by Lehr and Best have been transcribed by Pamela Morgan and illustrated by Elly Cohen. Some recall the distant past of a long and rich seafaring tradition; others tell of such recent tragedies as the displacement of outport people and the sinking of the Ocean Ranger. The selection represents the state of the folk-song in Newfoundland today; in some part it documents what is lost and forgotten, but it also celebrates what has survived, and thrives.

Customer Reviews (2)

Not really a songbook!!
Wonderful to compile a history of Newfoundland songs and their origins BUT the title is misleading. It is NOT a book of songs to play on the piano. It is a book to read.....

excellent and thoughtful book
This is an excellent compilation of songs from Newfoundland which is edited very thoughtfully. The book taps into the psyche of a wonderful land, Newfoundland, its traditions, people and its mystery. This is a truly wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anybody who is interested in Newfoundland or who would like to get to know a forgotten world where the mystery of our existence still lingers and taps into the core of our souls.A real - must purchase - if you would like to be taken a way to remote "bays" and "coves" of Newfoundland and vicariously get to know this wonderful and humane culture. I visited Newfoundland recently from Boston and read the book again during my visit. ... Read more

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This book has ten chapters of compelling reading, with topics dealing with the province's curiosities, war time secrets, the characters of olde St. John's, stories of underground vaults and tunnels of Newfoundland's capital city, justice stories, unusual people and some surprising revelations from the province's off-beat history. ... Read more

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Newfoundland, a former British colony, has historically been seen through English imperial eyes. In his entertaining travelogue, French geologist, cartographer, and oceanographer Julien Thoulet portrays the Newfoundland of 1886 from a French Enlightenment and Romantic perspective in which scientific discourse and historical and philosophical reflection are central. In his translation of Thoulet's travelogue, Scott Jamieson remains faithful to the elegance and wit of the original. A Voyage to Newfoundland is full of intriguing detail about the landscape, local culture, origins of place names, flora, oceanography, and state of the French fishery. Several chapters are devoted to the fisheries and controversies over their exploitation - including ominous signs of early failure of the inshore cod fishery. A Voyage to Newfoundland is illustrated with forty-two of Thoulet's own photographs, only four of which were part of the original French publication. Jamieson also provides a detailed introduction and annotations explaining obscure technical and historical references. This book is a timely addition to our understanding of Newfoundland's storied past. ... Read more

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Alfred Valdmanis is best known in Canada for his infamous role in Premier Joey Smallwood's scheme to industrialize Newfoundland. A Latvian immigrant, he was appointed Director General of Economic Development in 1950 with the understanding that through his connections to Europe he could entice German and Baltic industrialists to the isolated, rural island. His influence was brought to an abrupt end when, in 1954, he was charged with defrauding the government.The media, latching on to his murky past and his possible affiliation with war criminals, made him the scapegoat of Newfoundland's problems, painting him as part comedian, part sinister villain.

This was not the first time his name was connected with controversial issues. Valdmanis's wily political manoeuvring is more the stuff of fiction than history.Between 1938, at age 29, and his ironic downfall in the safe haven of Canada, he was a finance minister of pre-war Latvia, a government official during the Soviet invasion, a shrewd collaborator under the Nazi occupation, then, a friend to the Allies, a spokesman for Latvian POW and displaced persons, and an adviser to the government of Canada.In this first serious biography of Alfred Valdamis historian Gerhard Bassler casts the story of this political manipulator and chameleon in new terms: the often tragic consequences of the will to survive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The 1950s; a time for robbery by the Newfoundland government
Dr. Gerhard Bassler, a History professor at Memorial University, reveals, in great and gripping detail, the business dealings of the Newfoundland government, more specifically the underhandedness of economist Alfred Valdmanis and former premier Joey Smallwood.

Many Newfoundlanders knew what was happening but this book closely examines Smallwood's ardent desire that the province must "develop or perish" and banked on Valdmanis to pave the way. ... Read more

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This corrected edition is a dictionary of surnames in Canada. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland
Excellent source of Genealogical information on family surnames, helps you find the places that you should be looking for your family.Doesn't do yourgenealogy for you but most certainly helps.
Names are listed in Alphabetical order, no index necessary
There are 4 editions available but the 1988 corrected Edition is the best

Invaluable to the casual researcher of NF family history.
Seary's in-depth study of nearly three thousand family names ofNewfoundland, arose from his work on the study of place names of theisland. As his study progressed, Seary became fascinated with trackingfamilies as they migrated along the coast or changed their names to avoiddetection by Britain and France. His pursuit of the rise ofNewfoundlandsurnames illustrates that relationships, place of origin, occupation, andeven nicknames played very important roles.

The core of his researchcomes from the Official List of Electors 1955 chosen because it was themost comprehensive list of names and the communites to which they werelinked before the massive resettlement programs of the 1960's. The sourcesof his information are vast as he quotes from scholarly works from England,Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and the Channel Islands as well as themany censuses taken in Newfoundland since 1675 in his attempt to get at theorigin of the name.

Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland attemptsto trace each name to a geographical origin in England, France, Ireland,etc. as well as trace its linguistic origin.This will provide the readerof this text with answers to such questions as;What does the name mean?Where is the name found in Newfoundland? When was the first recordedincidence of it in a particular region? Of course, this information isinvaluable to any researcher of family history.

The real value to thestudent of genealogy, is that as Seary lists the early instances of eachname in various places in Newfoundland, he provides us with all kinds oftidbits of information about the person - how they were killed, where theyworked, their father, etc. And as expected from a scholar such as Seary,all of this information is referenced back to an original source document! ... Read more

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This book is a recollection of stories and anecdotes about growing up in a small Newfoundland village. It is a story of childhood and poignant memories as told from the viewpoint of a mature man reflecting on his past. The richness of life amidst the lack of wealth is caught in the author's clear and eloquent style.
All the detail of the outport home, the one-room school, the awesome churches, the inspiring trading schooners, the eerie superstitions and beliefs make this book an enthralling experience for the reader. The reader is not deluded into romantic nostalgia but kept alert to the joys and contentment that were snatched from a life where hardship and deprivation were fundamental facts. ... Read more

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When British doctor Wilfred Grenfell arrived in Newfoundland in 1892 to provide medical service to migrant fisherman, he had no clear sense of who his patients were or how they lived - a few weeks on the Labrador coast changed that. Struck by both the rugged beauty of the place and the difficulties faced by those who lived there, Grenfell devoted the rest of his life to improving theirs. At first an evangelical missionary of the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fisherman, Grenfell became part of philanthropic movements on both sides of the Atlantic. Raising funds in Canada and the United States, he founded a network of hospitals, nursing stations, schools, and home industries that exists in a modified form to this day. In 1908, the story of his survival after a night marooned on a drifting patch of ice transformed him into a popular hero. He eventually became one of the most successful lecturers of his time. Ronald Rompkey tells the story of Grenfell's education, his Anglo-Saxonism, and his devotion to broader issues of hygiene and public health.Above all, Rompkey shows that Grenfell went beyond being a doctor or a missionary to become a cultural politician who intervened in a colonial culture. "Grenfell of Labrador" provides a vivid picture of the man himself and the social movements through which he worked. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from American Review of Canadian Studies, published by Association for Canadian Studies in the United States on March 22, 1998. The length of the article is 1210 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Canadians at last: Canada integrates Newfoundland as a province.
Publication: American Review of Canadian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1998
Publisher: Association for Canadian Studies in the United States
Volume: 28Issue: 1-2Page: 189-92

Article Type: Book Review

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