Canadiana
The American Antiquarian Society contains an
outstanding collection of Canadiana.
This should not be surprising in light of the geographical,
cultural, and historical links between the United States and
Canada. The earliest bylaws of the Society outlined a broad goal
to collect and preserve materials from the Western hemisphere.
That range has been greatly modified since 1812, but the Society
still continues to acquire printed materials relating to the
history of New France and British North America from the period of
European settlement through 1876.
Journals of early discovery and exploration, nineteenth-
century guidebooks, illustrated reports of expeditions,
biographies, essays in Canadian folklore and literature, and
federal and provincial government documents are a part of the
diverse Canadiana collection. The numerous general histories range
from De Charlevoix's Histoire et Description Géneralé de
la
Nouvelle France (Paris, 1744) and the comprehensive
twenty-three-volume
Edinburgh edition of Canada and Its Provinces (Toronto,
1914) to recently published histories focusing on the Canadian
experience through 1876.
The Society holds important documentary series such as
Publications of the Canadian Archives, Jesuit Relations and Allied
Documents, and the Publications of the Champlain Society. All
are rich in historical detail and cover a wide range of subjects
and major events in Canada's history. The Society has numerous
works concerning the Hudson's Bay Company including the Publications
of the Hudson's Bay Record Society. The Society also holds
collections of documents published by the Champlain Society,
including the multivolume Hudson's Bay Company Series and the
Works of Samuel de Champlain. The Champlain Society's The
Rebellion of 1837 in Upper Canada focuses on one of the central
events of Ontario's early history and AAS holds several other works
about that armed insurrection in Upper and Lower Canada. Among the
primary sources on the patriot uprising are several rare
personal narratives by political prisoners who were transported to the
British penal colony in Van Dieman's Land following the rebellion
of 1837-38. The collection includes material on the provincial and
municipal level as well. In addition to monographs, there are
important series from Canadian historical societies and provincial
archives. While all regions of Canada are represented, the largest
number of studies are for the provinces of Ontario and Québec.
Canadiana is also represented in several other collections at
AAS. There is a noteworthy collection of French-Canadian
genealogies as well as family histories relevant to Loyalist
studies. An excellent collection of maps and lithographs of
Canadian cities is found in the graphic arts department. Most
Canadian imprints issued through 1840 are cataloged online. The
Society has a representative run of early Canadian newspapers,
nineteenth-century almanacs, and scholarly periodicals such as BC
Studies, Acadiensis, and the Canadian Historical Review.
Government documents are located in both the cataloged Canadiana
collection and the uncataloged foreign documents collection.
These official publications range from a selection of Parliamentary
sessional
papers and early provincial statutes to committee reports on
railroads and canals, annual reports of the Department of Mines,
and occasional papers in archaeology and history from Canadian
Historic Sites, a division of Parks Canada. In addition, Canadian
materials are represented in other collections, including
Directories, Learned Societies, and General Institutions.
Four of the standard
Canadiana bibliographies are annotated by the acquisitions staff to
reflect additions to the Society's collection.
These are Marie Tremaine's A Bibliography of Canadian Imprints
1751-1800 (Toronto, 1951), the Toronto Public Library's A
Bibliography of Canadiana (Toronto, 1934), R. E. Watters's A
Checklist of Canadian Literature and Background Materials 1628-
1960 (Toronto, 1972), and Patricia L. Fleming's Upper Canadian
Imprints, 1801-1841: A Bibliography (Toronto, 1988).
The Canadiana collection was enriched
in 1964 when Dr. Gabriel Nadeau donated 1,363 works amounting to
more than 3,000 volumes on the history and culture of French
Canada. During his long career in public health medicine, Dr.
Nadeau was also a novelist, historian, literary critic, and
archivist. Through the generous gift of his impressive Canadiana
library, the Society acquired many notable works, including the
first report of the Sociêté des Bon Livres of Québec,
1843, M.J.
and G. Ahern's Notes pour Servir a l' Histoire de la médicin
dans
le Bas-Canada (Quebec, 1923), J.E. Roy's Histoire de la
Seigneurie de Lauzon (Levis, 1899-1902), and C. Tanguay's
Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Canadiennes
(Quebec, 1871-80).
The Society continues to add primary and secondary works to its
Canadiana collection, which serves as an important source of
historical material for research in Canadian studies.
- Joanne Chaison, Research Librarian
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"No library in the United States offers a better collection of published
Canadiana than the AAS. During a year-long fellowship, I sampled the
collection daily, but feel that I've only scratched the surface of its
riches. Because my findings at the AAS have proved pivotal to my entire
project on the making of the Canadian-American borderland, I impatiently
await my next opportunity to return there."
-- Alan Taylor, University of
California at Davis, and 2000-2001 Mellon Distinguished Scholar in
Residence
at AAS
Hochelaga depicta: or, A new picture of Montreal, : embracing the early
history and present state of the city and island of
Montreal... (Montreal, 1846)
Letters from Van Dieman's Land : written during four years imprisonment
for political offences committed in Upper Canada
(Buffalo, 1843)
For current information on the cataloging status of this and
other AAS collections, choose "Collection Access" below.
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