Pierre Berton examines Canda's past through the stories of twenty-five diverse historical characters.

Berton also presents the country's vast and often stunning geography through the lenses of over thirty Canadian photographers.

Just a few of the excellent pictures/stories include a modern diesel-powered train making its way through a Rocky Mountain stretch of track that was first envisioned by 19th-century railway pathfinder, Walter Mosberly; the East Block of the Parliament Buildings, where Prime Minister John A. MacDonald (a "likeable rogue") had his office in the 1870s; and the rustic though beautiful Yukon cabin of poet Robert Service.

There are over 125 color and b/w photos and illustrations in this mammoth work.