About this title: A Pulitzer Prize-winning historian brings to life one of the great figures in North American history, Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec 400 years ago and established a colony where respect for the native people and religious tolerance were practiced. B&w illustrations throughout.
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Description: Good. 2009-Paperback----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Like New. 2009-Paperback-May contain minor shelf-wear. Otherwise, volume un-read and in "As-New" condition. -Used-Like New-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Good. 2009-Paperback---Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Good. 2008-Hardcover----Used-Good-Hall Street Books proudly ships from Brooklyn, NY. All orders are processed and shipped within 24 hours, M-F. 100% money back No-Worry guarantee with expedited delivery and delivery confirmation available. read more
Description: Fine. 1416593322 Ships next business day. NEW/UNREAD! ! ! Text is Clean and Unmarked! --Be Sure to Compare Seller Feedback and Ratings before Purchasing--Has a small black line on bottom/exterior edge of pages. May have light shelf wear to cover from storage, if any. read more
Edition: First Printing
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, NY
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781416593331ISBN:1416593330
Description: Fine. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. 834pp. Numerous b&w and color illustrations. Publisher's promotional material laid-in. No remainder mark. read more
Edition: First Edition/First Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, New York
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9781416593324ISBN:1416593322
Description: Very Good in Very Good jacket. Blue/pastel colored jacket has upper edge wear with a small crease at top of spine in back, price not clipped, remainder mark, boards and pages very clean and binding firm. read more
Edition: Reprint
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781416593331ISBN:1416593330
Description: In this sweeping, enthralling biography, an acclaimed historian brings to life the remarkable story of Samuel de Champlain--soldier, spy, artist, and Father of New France. read more
"A very detailed account of how a one-time royal cartographer became the founder of a new nation through his pragmatic, diplomatic and advanced approach to the clash of cultures."
"The Sieur de Champlain was the biggest historical figure in my part of the world when I was growing up in Quebec and attending French Catholic schools. Every year in elementary school, we would study Champlain. He was the George Washington of French Canada, the man who had founded the City of Quebec in 1608, and who was considered the father of his people. Needless to say, this saint-like portrayal didn't make him terribly compelling for an eight-year old boy.
I am glad to report that David Hackett Fischer's biography of Champlain makes the man come alive, although it does indeed seem as if he really did have a lot of saintly qualities. In stunning contrast to, for example, his Spanish conquistador contemporaries in the New World, he was a man of faith who kept his word, worked tirelessly to bring about his vision, built strong alliances with (most of) the Indian tribes, and applied justice with a strong sense of fairness. It's a good thing he was a flop as a husband, otherwise we would seem too good to be true -- although the fact that he married a 12-year-old girl when he was a man of 40 didn't exactly bode well for a happy relationship.
He was also an extraordinarily talented Renaissance man who mastered many disciplines. He was a writer who published multiple books about his travels and his experiences in building colonies in the wilderness. He was a navigator and map-maker who charted a good part of the north-eastern part of North America. He was a soldier who fought in the wars of religion in France in the late sixteenth century and who also led military expeditions against the Iroquois. Most importantly, he was a founder of new colonies, who created French communities in Acadia and Quebec which form the core of what is today the French presence in North America.
As I am so fond of doing when reading historical literature, I read this book while traveling in the places where Champlain once roamed, particularly Quebec City. It adds a whole new dimension to travel, needless to say. I think I now have a much deeper appreciation not only of Champlain the man, but of Quebec the province where I grew up."
"Excellent history. Puts Champlain in the frame of his time. I have done quite a bit of research on Champlain and soon found, after reading lots of conflicting information, that some people writing about Champlain hadn't bothered to go back and actually read his works, but relied entirely on secondary and tertiary sources resulting in repeated misinformation. Fisher sets this record of confusion straight.
A couple of things I would have liked to have seen was more on the Huguenot influence in New France. After the death of Henry IV they drop out of Fisher's narrative, but they remained a strong presence in New France, mainly as tradesmen, until the early 18th century when they were forced to abjure their faith.
The other thing that could have been covered was the machinations of the Jesuits to get rid of the Recollets. Champlain introduced the Recollets to New France, but died under the influence of the Jesuits. There's a story there.
Fisher paints a convincing portrait of Champlain and tries to see him within his age without judging him from a contemporary standpoint. Fisher doesn't comment on Champlain's vision of the sons of France marrying the daughters of the native poeple - he never says that the daughters of France should marry the native men."
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