Le province de Quebec

Book excerpt: There is no doubt that local and regional history, considered by many as a kind of minor historical study, has a pressing need for a systematic inventory of its resources. This collection shows the durability, the vividness, and the astonishing productivity of a sector of history which is the stronghold of the history-lover rather than the professional historian. The nature and content of each book determines its selection. For each book included, the compilers have weighed its contribution to local history and regional history rather than the style in which it is written—narrative, memoir, descriptive study, or novel. It is this criterion of selection that has permitted the retention of several general histories of a varied nature—Bouchette, Charlevoix, Nicholas Denys, La Potherie, Lescarbot, Hanotaux, Sulte, etc.— where local and regional life takes on a major importance for reasons of order in history, method, or quite simply because local life is the principal object of the study itself. The editors have also retained certain works—those of George W. Brown, Arthur Buies, George M. Grant, Blodwen Davies, etc.—because they are primarily descriptive and contain numerous elements in which local history blends with the manners and customs of the inhabitants of certain regions. This bibliography is designed primarily for historiographers who have until now paid little attention to local, regional, or parochial history. It will also be invaluable for librarians who suffer from the numerous difficulties involved in the classification of such works. Since 1950, all works published in Canada are, by virtue of the book deposit law, provided to the National Library of Canada, and recorded in Canadiana.