Champlain's Dream
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4.8 • 8 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
The entralling biography of the visionary adventurer—explorer, master mariner, soldier, artist, spy—who has straddled our history for 400 years. David Hackett Fischer, one of North America’s most acclaimed historians, brings to life, with rare immediacy and drama, the story of Samuel de Champlain. A remarkable leader in his time, he dreamed of humanity and peace in a world riven by violence, built the first European settlement in Canada founded on a dream of harmony and respect, and played a role in starting the growth of three populations—Québécois, Acadian, and Métis—in the place he called Quebec. His legacy is with us today and helps define Canada. With consummate storytelling skill and comprehensive scholarship drawing on Champlain’s own diaries and accounts, Fischer has definitively recreated for us the life of a rare and fascinating man, and the result is inspiring and gripping.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fischer, Pulitzer Prize winner for Washington's Crossing, has produced the definitive biography of Samuel de Champlain (1567 1635): spy, explorer, courtier, soldier, sailor, ethnologist, mapmaker, and founder and governor of New France (today's Quebec), which he founded in 1608. This extraordinary and flawed individual was a man of war who dreamed of establishing a peaceful nation in the New World. Fischer once again displays a staggering and wide research, lightly worn, including no fewer than 16 fascinating appendixes covering everything from the "Indian Nations in Champlain's World, 1603 35" to Champlain's preferred firearm. The bibliography is equally impressive, and the same should be said of Fischer's literary skills and approach. He does not have "a thesis, or a theory, or an ideology," but instead answers questions ("Who was this man? What did he do? Why should we care?") to weave together his epic story. With 2008 the 400th anniversary of the foundation of New France, the time is ripe for this outstanding work. 16 pages of color photos; b&w photos, maps.
Customer Reviews
Should Be Required Reading in Canada
I learned more about this part of our history than in 20 years in formal education. Fascinating.
A wonderful piece of history!
A beautifully written and inspirational story of a man who truly believed in the beauty of his dream.
Un livre inspirant pour savoir d'où l'on vient
L'auteur nous permet de voir à quel point l'approche de Champlain à été déterminante dans l'établissement de relations harmonieuses avec les autochtones. On peut regretter que cela n'ait toujours été le cas. L'écriture est très accessible et le récit est soutenu.