CANADA LEARNS TO PLAY: THE EMERGENCE OF ORGANIZED SPORT, 1807-1914. Metcalfe, Alan. Toronto, McClelland & Stewart. 1987. 243pp, paper, $15.95, ISBN 0-7710-5870-5. CIP Grades 12 and up Reviewed by John Mitchell Volume 15 Number 4 1987 July Canada Learns to Play is a social history of Canada from 1807 to the First World War with sports as its focus. The author, Alan Metcalfe, professor of kinesiology at the University of Windsor, states that "sport was an essential part of the cultural mosaic and reflected predominant societal influences." Metcalfe traces the development of sports in Canada as influenced by the growth of cities, shifts in population, regional and cultural differences, and the emergence of industry. Beginning with pre-Confederation British North America, sports in Canada were dominated by wealthy British colonial officials and the commercial and mercantile middle class. With urbanization and industrialization came more free time along with improved transportation and communication in the form of the railroad and the telegraph. As a result, teams, leagues, and sports organizations proliferated. While the upper and middle classes followed British models in sports, the lower classes looked to the United States, By the turn of the century, the concept of amateurism based on the tradition of the British gentleman-sportsman had come into conflict with that of professionalism. The sports covered here include golf, curling, lawn tennis, football, ice hockey, rugby, soccer, cricket, horse racing, baseball, and lacrosse. It is a scholarly work based on extensive research of newspapers and records of sporting clubs and organizations. The academic style of writing and scarcity of photographs make for rather slow reading. While useful as a reference work, it will be of little value for recreational purposes. John Mitchell, Guelph, Ont., Centennial Collegiate.