Book dossier

The Canadian settler's guide

by Catherine Parr Traill

Many a mid-nineteenth century "female settler" must have had cause to feel gratitude to this comprehensive and live *Guide*, and the remarkable lady who wrote it. The book abounds with useful information from bread and pickle-making to what to do if your cabin catches fire, and how best to combat loneliness in the Ontario bush. It discusses manners, morality, what the sensible pioneer should wear, and how to raise chickens. It tells you how to raise flowers and vegetables, how to cope with illness with no doctor in reach, and abounds with practical suggestions for entertaining and interior decorating, even while in the wilderness. It is not surprising that *The Canadian Settler's Guide* has become a genuine classic of Canadiana. Written in a clear, lucid prose, its author's versatility, imagination, and common sense still shine from every page. Catherine Parr Traill was a young bride when she exchanged the comforts of upper-class English society for the rigour of pioneer existence. And she took the taming of the Canadian bush into her stride as gracefully as she had once entertained the vicar at tea. Her diverting and informative *Guide* remains as fascinating today as when it was first written.