Quest Biography

14 primary works • 18 total works

Louis Riel

by Sharon Stewart

Published 1 January 2007

James Wilson Morrice

by Wayne Larsen

Published 1 January 2008

James Wilson Morrice (1865-1924) was a Canadian painter of extraordinary passion and simplicity whose canvases and oil sketches are valued throughout the world and cherished in Canada as our first real examples of modern art.Though cut short by chronic alcohol abuse, Morrice's restless bohemian life was spent in constant motion. From the colourful canals of Venice to the sun-drenched markets of North Africa to the snowy streets of Quebec City, he was, as his friend Henri Matisse described him, ''''always over hill and dale, a little like a migrating bird but without any very fixed landing place.''''In James Wilson Morrice, Wayne Larsen chronicles the creative but often troubled life of this early cultural icon as he travels in search of the colours, compositions, and subtle effects of light that would inspire a revolution in Canadian art.

Vilhjalmur Stefansson

by Tom Henighan

Published 1 January 2009

One of Canadas most famous and controversial Arctic explorers, Vilhjalmur Stefansson contributed immensely to knowledge about the Far North.

Robertson Davies

by Nicholas Maes

Published 1 January 2009

Born in Thamesville, Ontario, a student at Queen's University in Kingston in the 1930's, and editor and later publisher of the Peterborough Examiner from the 1940s to the mid-1960s, playwright, essayist, critic, professor, and novelist Robertson Davies (1913-1995) was one of Canada's pre-eminent literary voices for more than a half-century. Davies, with his generous beard and donnish manner, was the very epitome of the "man of letters," a term he abhorred. Best known for his Deptford Trilogy of novels (Fifth Business, The Manticore, World of Wonders), he also wrote two other trilogies (Salterton and Cornish) and was at work on the third volume of another trilogy (Toronto) when he died. With a life as rich in character and colour as that found in his fiction and essays, Davies had a great fondness for magic and myth, both of which are found in abundance in his work, along with a prodigious streak of wry humour.

James Douglas

by Julie H. Ferguson

Published 1 October 2009

James Douglas’s story is one of high adventure in pre-Confederation Canada. It weaves through the heart of Canadian and Pacific Northwest history when British Columbia was a wild land, Vancouver didn’t exist, and Victoria was a muddy village.

Part black and illegitimate, Douglas was born in British Guiana (now Guyana) in 1803 to a Scottish plantation owner and a mixed-race woman. After schooling in Scotland, the fifteen-year-old Douglas sailed to Canada in 1819 to join the fur trade. With roads non-existent, he travelled thousands of miles each year, using the rivers and lakes as his highways. He paddled canoes, drove dogsleds, and snowshoed to his destinations.

Douglas became a hard-nosed fur trader, married a part-Cree wife, and nearly provoked a war between Britain and the United States over the San Juan Islands on the West Coast. When he was in his prime, he established Victoria and secrured the western region of British North America from the Russian Empire and the expansionist Americans. Eventually, Douglas became the controversial governor of the Colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia and oversaw the frenzied Fraser and Cariboo gold rushes.

Harriet Tubman

by Rosemary Sadlier

Published 1 January 2012

Born in the United States and enslaved as a child, Harriet Tubman (circa 1820-1913) is one of the best-known figures connected to the Underground Railroad. Her success encouraged enslaved Africans to make the brave break for freedom and reinforced the belief held by abolitionists in the potential of black freedom and independence.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent

by Author Nathan Tidridge

Published 4 May 2013

John A. MacDonald

by Ged Martin

Published 1 January 2013

Shocked by Canada's 1837 rebellions, John A. Macdonald sought to build alliances and avoid future conflicts. Thanks to financial worries and an alcohol problem, he almost quit politics in 1864. The challenge of building Confederation harnessed his skills, and in 1867 he became the country's first prime minister. As "Sir John A.," he drove the Dominion's westward expansion, rapidly incorporating the Prairies and British Columbia before a railway contract scandal unseated him in 1873. He conquered his drinking problem and rebuilt the Conservative Party to regain power in 1878. The centrepiece of his protectionist National Policy was the transcontinental railway, but a western uprising in 1885 was followed by the controversial execution of rebel leader Louis Riel. Although dominant nationally, Macdonald often cut ethical corners to resist the formidable challenge of the Ontario Liberals in his own province. John A. Macdonald created Canada, but this popular hero had many flaws.

Molly Brant

by Peggy Dymond Leavey

Published 25 April 2015

Molly Brant, a Mohawk girl born into poverty in 1736, became the consort of Sir William Johnson, one of the wealthiest white men in 18th-century America. Suspected of being a spy for the British during the American Revolution, Molly was forced to flee with her children or face imprisonment. Because of her ability to influence the Mohawks, her assistance was needed at Fort Niagara, and she found refuge there.

A respected Mohawk matron, Molly became a vital link between her people and the Canadian Indian Department. Like her brother Joseph, she worked hard to keep five of the Six Nations on the side of the British throughout the war, believing the empty promises that all would be restored to them once the conflict ended. Although she was seen as fractious and demanding at times, her remarkable stamina and courage gained the respect of the highest levels of Canadian government.

Quest Biographies Bundle -- Books 21-25

by Julie H. Ferguson, Tom Henighan, Nicholas Maes, Wayne Larsen, and Sharon Stewart

Published 13 November 2013

Quest Biographies Bundle -- Books 26-30

by Wayne Larsen, Valerie Knowles, D.T. Lahey, Edward Butts, and Peggy Dymond Leavey

Published 13 November 2013

Quest Biographies Bundle -- Books 31-35

by Rosemary Sadlier, Author Nathan Tidridge, Peggy Dymond Leavey, Ray Argyle, and Ged Martin

Published 2 December 2013

Quest Biographies Bundle -- Books 21-30

by Julie H. Ferguson, Tom Henighan, Nicholas Maes, Wayne Larsen, Sharon Stewart, Valerie Knowles, D.T. Lahey, Edward Butts, and Peggy Dymond Leavey

Published 6 December 2013

Canadian Political Bundle

by Arthur Slade, Roderick Stewart, Margaret MacPherson, Marguerite Paulin, Ged Martin, Ray Argyle, Julie H. Ferguson, and Lian Goodall

Published 16 December 2013

Mary Pickford

by Peggy Dymond Leavey

Published 14 September 2011

Mary Pickford's ambition, passion, innate talent, and savvy business acumen sent her career into the stratosphere and set the blueprint for the modern movie star. Her determination led her to the world of motion pictures, where she negotiated her own terms for the highest salary for any actress and complete creative control over her films.

Joey Smallwood

by Ray Argyle

Published 1 January 2012

Born in Gambo, Newfoundland, Joseph ("Joey") Smallwood (1900 - 1991) spent his life championing the worth and potential of his native province. Although he was a successful journalist and radio personality, Smallwood is best known for his role in bringing Newfoundland into Confederation with Canada in 1949, believing that such an action would secure an average standard of living for Newfoundlanders. He was rightfully dubbed the "only living Father of Confederation" in his lifetime and was premier of the province for twenty - three years. During much of the last part of the twentieth century, Smallwood remained a prominent player in the story of Newfoundland and Labrador's growth as a province. Later in life he put himself in debt in order to complete his Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, the only project of its kind in Canada up to that point. InJoey Smallwood: Schemer and Dreamer, Ray Argyle reexamines the life of this incredible figure in light of Newfoundland's progress in recent years, and measures his vision against its new position as a province of prosperity rather than poverty.

Laura Secord

by Peggy Dymond Leavey

Published 12 May 2012

After dragging her injured husband off the battlefield during the War of 1812, Laura Secord (1775 - 1868) was forced to house American soldiers for financial support while she nursed him back to health. It was during this time that she overheard the American plan to ambush British troops at Beaver Dams. Through an outstanding act of perseverance and courage in 1813, Laura walked an astonishing 30 kilometers from her home to a British outpost to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon. Despite facing rough terrain, the ever - present danger of being caught by American troops, and rather delicate encounters with Native forces, Laura reached FitzGibbon just in time for the British to prepare and execute an ambush on American military nearby, forcing the U.S. general to surrender. Laura lived a very long time, dying at the age of 93. In her lifetime the government never formally recognized her singular feat of bravery, and much controversy still envelopes her legacy.

Canadian Cultural Heritage 4-Book Bundle

by Peggy Dymond Leavey, Sharon Stewart, Rosemary Sadlier, and Edward Butts

Published 25 April 2015