"This impressive history of Canada tells a rich and surprisingly new story in a relatively brief space. It is constructed on an awareness of the past half-century of historical writing and is especially convincing in its approach to Aboriginal communities, French-speaking households, and Atlantic Canada. I recommend it wholeheartedly." -Gerald Friesen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba "Conrad's book has energy and narrative drive and never seems didactic or heavy-handed. It has what Stephen Pyne calls the hallmark of all good non-fiction: "voice and vision." Instead of the literary conceits or clunky structural devices others may have relied on, Conrad trusts her own voice and the history of Canada itself to tell an inclusive yet coherent national story." -Jeffrey L. McNairn, Queen's University "Margaret Conrad's elegant, erudite and sophisticated study of Canada's history is both dramatic in scale and detailed in exposition. Throughout, Conrad traces a clear narrative trajectory that juxtaposes Canada's internal social, political and cultural dynamics and its external influences, especially those emanating from the nation on the other side of Niagara Falls, to emphasize both the challenges and triumphs that the nation has faced in constructing and sustaining a distinctive, coherent and inclusive identity in the face of internal dissent, global unrest and economic uncertainty." -Susan-Mary Grant, Professor of American History, Newcastle University

Margaret Conrad is Professor Emerita and Honorary Research Professor of History at the University of New Brunswick, Canada. Her publications include Atlantic Canada: A Concise History with James K. Hiller (2009), Saturday's Child: Memoirs of Canada's First Female Cabinet Minister (1995), History of the Canadian Peoples with Alvin Finkel (1993), No Place Like Home: The Diaries and Letters of Nova Scotia Women, 1771-1938 with Toni Laidlaw and Donna Smyth (1988) and George Nowlan: Maritime Conservative in National Politics (1986).

Introduction: a cautious country; 1. Since time immemorial; 2. Natives and newcomers, 1000-1661; 3. New France, 1661-1763; 4. A revolutionary age, 1763-1821; 5. Transatlantic communities, 1815-1849; 6. Coming together, 1850-1885; 7. Making progress, 1885-1914; 8. Hanging on, 1914-1945; 9. Liberalism triumphant, 1945-1984; 10. Interesting times, 1984-2010.