“… this handsome volume tells of the perilous journey to map North America’s heartland… La Vérendrye died penniless, but his story is rich indeed.” - Globe and Mail

“A splendid book in design and artistic illustration as well as content.” - The Beaver

“… a welcome new addition to the historical literature of western Canada.” - Canadian Geographic

“Three thumbs up.” - Ron Robinson, CBC Radio

Selected Journals of La Verendrye

edited by Denis Combet

THIS IMPORTANT BOOK brings together for the first time, in French and English, the selected journals and letters of La Vèrendrye and others who aided the great explorer in his quest to find a route to the Pacific.

Edited by Prof. Denis Combet, these bilingual texts are accompanied by contemporary maps and drawings, as well as original art by noted painter René Lantier.

The journals take us from the calm settlement of New France into the wild unexplored territories of western Canada in the early 18th century. Drama, tragedy and even humour are daily aspects of the explorers’ epic journey west. They encounter new aboriginal tribes, discover new travel routes, and establish trading posts to challenge the Hudson’s Bay Company, including the first fort at what will one day become Winnipeg.

This unique book, hardcover and in full colour, will be of interest to both the scholar and the general reader. It is an important addition to our understanding of Canadian history.

About the Author
Born in Marseille, France in 1955, Professor Denis Combet holds a doctorate from the Université de Nancy II. Since arriving in Canada in 1975, he has taught at the University of Manitoba, the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and the University of Victoria. He is currently a professor at Brandon University.