[.ca] Canoe Atlas of the Little North (ISBN 1550464965)

An unusual and valuable book:
A minor work of art, this book begins with a high-level graphical overview of the natural history of the Little North that is suitable for coffee-table browsing, and follows with a wealth of detail about canoeing through the area, both on and completely off the beaten path. In addition to the anticipated maps, there are numerous sketches of natural features that one could imagine using to confirm location in a way that only GPS coordinates could otherwise provide. It's hard to be certain about the present value of the canoeing information as the maps show countless portages undertaken by the authors some years or decades ago, along with hundreds more obtained from conversation with locals, or even extracted from other published works dating back more than 50 years. As a single historical record of where people have travelled in this largely roadless area though, it is fascinating. With logging set to expand into the Albany watershed in the near future, a book such as this is a fitting tribute to a wilderness area with a long history that has received little recognition from the majority of Canadians.