MARTIN, CHESTER BAILEY — Lord Selkirk's Work in Canada

Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1916. First Edition. Hardcover. "[The fifth Earl of Selkirk's] life came to an end in the midst of a bitter conflict. His vindication was not attempted for more than half a century, not because it was uncalled for or impossible, but because it was inexpedient in the light of an enforced compromise at Selkirk's death. Selkirk's work scarcely lends itself to adequate appreciation. Colonization, however useful and far-reaching in results, can scarcely fail to prove prosaic and uninspiring in the details of its development. Selkirk found it necessary to work with - and also to contend against - men who fell far below his own level. It is no small tribute to the integrity of Selkirk's ideas upon colonization that though not undefiled for a time by the ignoble quarrel between two fur trading companies, they reappear untarnished and with added lustre, in almost the last letter he ever wrote." - Preface. "Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk FRS FRSE (20 June 1771 – 8 April 1820) was a Scottish landowner and philanthropist best known for sponsoring immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony." - Wikipedia. 240 pages. Maps. Index. Bibliographical Note. No dust jacket, presumably as issued. Prior owner's details atop front free endpaper. Binding intact. Above-average wear to original ruled light maroon cloth. A sound reference example. Peel (3rd Edn) 132. ; Oxford Historical and Literary Studies; 8vo. Fair with No dust jacket as issued .