Like the other volumes in the series, this study is written in particularly engaging, almost novel-like fashion. Copious detail is provided of the day-to-day experiences of Dawson's travels and adventures; and this, along with the use of continuous direct dialogue among the characters involved (a dialogue that is in large part manufactured, but nonetheless believable and in character), produces a story that is much more human and immediate than description alone could ever provide.

      Dawson's work coincided with the opening of the Canadian west, and his reports and records are able to portray the country and its people in what was still largely a pre-European form. He had the fortune to see some of the last great buffalo herds and hunts; rivers full of salmon; wildfires on the prairies; and seal packs covering huge stretches of shore. He moved into the west when local tribes were still in combat, and when altercations between Europeans and Aboriginal peoples were not unusual. His own ability to forge close working relationships with the Aboriginal people he encountered allowed him to record their lore, legends and practices with a scientific but empathetic eye. What he learned from them added significantly to the information he was subsequently able to convey about the physical character and natural history of the new country. The same might be said of the close ties he was able to make with the scattered Europeans he encountered in his travels. Miners in British Columbia and traders on the prairies all became part of the information bank he was carefully forging.

      With this story, the reader is left with a sympathetic portrait of a significant contributor to the building of the early nation; with an understanding of the work and contribution both of the Boundaries Commission and the Geological Survey of Canada, each an important institution in that early nation-building; and with a fascinating picture of the country and its people at the point when both were moving from the old ways to the new. In the tradition of the series, the book is effectively illustrated and includes a useful bibliography and comparative time chart outlining the events of Dawson's life and career against major social and political events taking place in Canada and internationally.

      The book will be a valuable supplement to any study of the Canadian west or a delightful reading experience in its own right.

Highly Recommended.