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"The Steamboat Mails of Eastern Canada"
by Robert Parsons
Pp. 292, Longley Auctions, Waterdown, 2002
Bob Parsons' new book is in some ways a stunning work, which unfortunately suffers from
several flaws. Before discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the book, let me give
a brief outline of its contents. It is divided into nine chapters and eight appendices,
plus Bob's exhibit. Apart from Chapter 1 on the pioneer steamboats, the chapters deal
in general with the steamboat mails of the different regions of the St. Lawrence and
Ottawa Rivers and the Great Lakes, including Lake Champlain. The appendices deal with
contracts for the carriage of the mails by steamboat, instructions for conductors of
such mails, and other such topics.
On the plus side, the book is well written and thus easy to read. It is quite comprehensive
in the areas it covers (but I could not find any mention of the Muskoka Steamers and their
markings), and gives some interesting sidelights on the subject. The quality of the
illustrations (all in black and white with the exception of those on the covers) is
extremely high. These include reproductions of some very rare and desirable early
covers and markings, as well as documents and postcards related to the steamboat
mails. The quality of the printing is in general superb, on a very heavy gloss paper
(the book weighs 840 g, or about 1 lb 14 oz!). There are abundant references cited,
both primary and secondary. The exhibit is a treat to view, with many beautiful
covers and cards, both early and illustrated, plus collateral material; it would
be kind of nice to know the awards it achieved – they must have been in the upper echelons!
The major flaw of the book is its lack of an index. How nice it would be to be able to
refer directly to a particular steamboat in which one is interested, or to the carriage
of mail throughout a particular port town, or to a particular mail contractor. That said,
the Table of Contents (although off by a couple of pages in some instances) does at least
direct one to the general area of one's interest.
My net assessment is that this book is certainly worth owning. Perhaps someone (Bob?)
could compile an index to make it much more usable as a reference work, as opposed to a "reading" book.
Robert C. Smith
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