Know It All: Finding the Impossible Country

By James H.Marsh

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or INDIGO/CHAPTERS or AMAZON or Direct from Durvile

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"The Canadian Encyclopedia —
The Intellectual Equivalent of Building the CPR.”

In Know It All: Finding the Impossible Country James Marsh tells of his evolution from a troubled childhood to a long career in Canadian publishing that culminated in the creation of The Canadian Encyclopedia — what one reviewer called “the intellectual equivalent of the building of the CPR.”

The book begins as a portrait of Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood and, from 1980, the story continues in Alberta, which became the centre for this great intellectual project. Through friendships, curiosity, the insights of a charismatic psychiatrist, his passion for books, and the intimate encounters with the authors he met, he championed a diverse and inclusive view of Canada, that was used to draw the great minds of an impossible nation together in a common national enterprise.

While exploring how memory works and how we learn to think of ourselves, Know It All offers insights into the intricacies of Canadian identity, the profession of book editors, and is the most comprehensive first-hand story about the creation of The Canadian Encyclopedia.

James H. Marsh

“James Marsh bravely held up a mirror to his culture. The Canadian Encyclopedia is a monument to the integrative power
of culture and the myth of a fragile land.” —Canadian Historical Review

James H. Marsh grew up in the rough Toronto neighbourhood of The Junction, surviving a difficult childhood. He began his career in publishing at Holt, Rinehart and Winston learning the business from copy editing to typesetting and printing. At HRW, he was the editor of a centennial history of Canada called Canada: Unity and Diversity. He later became the executive editor of the Carleton Library Series and co-authored the two-volume New Beginnings: A Social History of Canada. His love of the book business led him into the prized job at The Canadian Encyclopedia, where he was editor in chief.

Know It All: Finding the Impossible Country

By James H.Marsh

ORDER the book or INDIGO/CHAPTERS or AMAZON or Direct from Durvile

"The Canadian Encyclopedia — The Intellectual Equivalent of Building the CPR.”

ORDER the book
or INDIGO/CHAPTERS or AMAZON or Direct from Durvile

"The Canadian Encyclopedia —
The Intellectual Equivalent of Building the CPR.”