Press release

A publishing event celebrating Canadian geography, history and culture

TORONTO—HarperCollinsCanada and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society announced today the publication of the Canadian Geographic Atlas of Canada, a publishing event that will capture the geographic majesty, history, spirit, culture and enterprise that continues to define and unite our nation.

The Canadian Geographic Atlas of Canada is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between one of Canada’s largest educational organizations and Collins Bartholomew, a division of HarperCollins, based in Glasgow and widely considered the leading authority on cartography and atlas publishing. Collins Bartholomew is also the creator of the Times World Atlas, recognized as the most prestigious and authoritative reference atlas in the world.

“This has been one of the most remarkable projects undertaken by our cartography team in quite some time,” said Sheena Barclay, Managing Director, Collins Bartholomew. “The vast and unique character of the Canadian landscape and seascapes makes this atlas special in many ways. I expect it to be a keepsake for Canadians of all ages for years to come.”

“As Canadians, we live in a world of multiple histories, multiple pasts,” said anthropologist and author Wade Davis in the Foreword to the atlas. “For 250 years, ours was a mercantile economy based on the fur trade, and while we have become predominantly urban people, even in our cities we live on the edge of the wild.”

Other prominent figures will share contributions on their areas of expertise: Robert Bateman (The Environment), Canada’s most well-known wildlife painter and one of our most respected environmentalists; Sherry Cooper (The Economy), former chief economist for the BMO Financial Group; Phillip Currie (Physical Geography), paleontologist and world leader in dinosaur discovery; John Geiger (The Arctic and the Introduction), author and CEO of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society; Charlotte Gray (History), award-winning biographer and historian; Robert Page (Resources), Director of the Enbridge Centre for Corporate Sustainability; David Phillips (Climate), Senior Climatologist for Environment Canada; and Sir Christopher Ondaatje (Population), author, financier and philanthropist.  

“As much as anything else, what it is to be Canadian—our culture, our economy, our sense of who we are and where we stand in the world—is defined by geography,” said ‎ John Geiger. “To understand Canada, one must understand the geography of Canada. The Canadian Geographic Atlas of Canada is critical to such an understanding.”

The atlas includes 45 pages of fully up-to-date reference maps, 20 pages of historical maps and commentary, 56 pages of thematic mapping and graphics, introductions and commentary from Canadian luminaries, more than 275 photos and 15 digitally enhanced satellite images, as well as 156 pages of commentary, maps and photographs dedicated to each province and territory.

The Canadian Geographic Atlas of Canada will publish on October 28, 2014.

The Royal Canadian Geographical Society has worked since 1929 to become one of Canada’s largest, most-trusted, non-biased, non-profit educational organizations and has over 12,000 teacher members. The Society is dedicated to imparting a broader knowledge and deeper appreciation of Canada to Canadians. The principal mechanism of its public education role is Canadian Geographic magazine. For more than 80 years, Canadian Geographic has been telling stories, explaining issues and making the country more accessible through words, pictures and maps.

HarperCollinsCanada imprints include HarperCollinsPublishers, HarperPerennial, Collins, HarperTrophyCanada HarperWeekend, HarperAvenue and Patrick Crean Editions. These imprints publish the finest writers from Canada and around the world, including Lawrence Hill, Kenneth Oppel, Emma Donoghue, David Bezmozgis, and Pulitzer Prize winners Richard Ford, Marilynne Robinson and Paul Harding. HarperCollins also publishes notable Canadian authors such as Amanda Lang, Jim Treliving, Justin Trudeau, Olivia Chow and Lloyd Robertson, and such internationally acclaimed authors as Hilary Mantel, Colum McCann, Michael Cunningham, Tim Flannery and Isabel Allende. HarperCollinsCanada publishes fiction, non-fiction, reference books and books for children.

 

For further information contact:

Rob Firing, Senior Director, Publicity & Communications at HarperCollinsCanada, 416-975-9334 ext. 2357. Email [email protected].

Deb Chapman, Communications Manager at The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, 613-745-4629 ext. 160. Email [email protected].