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E-book
Author Benidickson, Jamie

Title Idleness, water, and a canoe : reflections on paddling for pleasure / Jamie Benidickson
Published Toronto, Ont. : University of Toronto Press, ©1997

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Description 1 online resource (xii, 299 pages, 22 unnumbered pages of plates) : illustrations
Series CEL - Canadian Publishers Collection
Contents 1. Idleness, Water, and a Canoe: Popular Images and Personal Experiences -- 2. A Useful Vessel: A Trout, a Moose, and a Canoe -- 3. The Healing Pines -- 4. God's Country -- 5. The Canadian Summer Boy -- 6. Women and Wilderness -- 7. Rock Dodging and Other Perils -- 8. Getting Organized: Clubs and Competitions -- 9. What Kinda Boat Ya Got? -- 10. The Craft and the Craftsman in Transition -- 11. Native Impressions -- 12. Destinations -- 13. Comfort: Bringing It with You and Finding It There -- 14. The Price of Adventure -- 15. Consuming Wilderness -- 16. The Future of the Voyageur
Summary In the spring of 1940, subscribers to Queen's Quarterly read that the 'ingredients of a holiday in Canada are idleness, water, and a canoe.' This statement bears witness to the enduring importance of the canoe generations after the decline of the North American fur trade. Jamie Benidickson explains that the canoe's merit lies not strictly in its function as a transportation vehicle, but in its promise of unrestricted mobility, leisure, and independence. Idleness, Water, and a Canoe is a study of the place of the canoe in Canadian life, with comparative references to the United States and Britain. A blend of history, economic analysis, technical information, and social commentary, it examines the rise of the canoe's popularity and its influence on leisure activity, economics and tourism, and literature and advertising in this country. Drawing on books, newspaper articles, original records, unusual ephemera, and interviews with paddlers, the author describes the evolution and cultural significance of two centuries of recreational paddling. He explores why canoeists have constantly sought new summer waterways, how they have practised their craft, and how much influence paddling for pleasure has had on them and on the societies in which they live. The many facets of recreational paddling are illustrated and described in a series of reflections on subjects ranging from the paddler's quest for physical and emotional renewal to what the future holds for voyageurs and their sport. Benidickson also discusses the evolution of canoe design and manufacturing, the formation of canoe clubs and organizations, the economics of recreational travel, and the paddler's role in environmental protection. Not only will this book appeal to those interested in history, sociology, aesthetics, geography, and sports and leisure studies, but its broad scope and accessible style will recommend it to the many outdoor enthusiasts who plan yearly canoeing trips
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL
Print version record
digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL
Subject Canoes and canoeing -- Canada
Canoes and canoeing -- Social aspects -- Canada
Canoes and canoeing -- United States
Canoes and canoeing -- Great Britain
SPORTS & RECREATION -- Canoeing.
NATURE -- Essays.
Canoes and canoeing
Canoes and canoeing -- Social aspects
Canada
Great Britain
United States
Form Electronic book
LC no. 97160859
ISBN 9781442675971
1442675977
1281997528
9781281997524