Manitoba Record Society books in digital form

16 September 2007

The Manitoba Record Society was formed in 1960 by the Manitoba Historical Society as an independent body focused on making historical documents and other important, rare materials more readily available. Published over the course of nearly forty years, the MRS books encompass a broad spectrum of provincial life.

Today, the Manitoba Historical Society announces the free availability of the entire MRS book series in digital form.

The MRS book series joins a growing collection of electronic books on the MHS web site, available here.

All books are in Adobe PDF format, for which you will require Acrobat Reader, a free download from the Adobe web site.

Manitoba: The Birth of a Province
edited by W. L. Morton, 265 pages, 1965.

This collection of rare documents, compiled by a noted Manitoba historian, provides a readable and vivid account of the conflict of purposes that led to the birth of Manitoba in 1870.

The Dafoe-Sifton Correspondence, 1919-1927
edited by Ramsay Cook, 310 pages, 1966.

This volume reprints a collection of articulate correspondence between politician Clifford Sifton, owner of the Manitoba Free Press newspaper in the early 20^th century, and his editor John W. Dafoe. It provides insight into the lives of these prominent men and the many issues and personalities which filled this period.

The James Wickes Taylor Correspondence, 1859-1870
edited by Hartwell Bowsfield, 193 pages, 1968.

Over a period of 23 years as the US representative in Winnipeg, James W. Taylor was a popular figure in the social and business life of the British North West. This collection of his early correspondence covers the period when Americans were keenly interested in acquiring the territory.

The Diary of the Reverend Henry Budd, 1870-1875
edited by Katherine Pettipas, 198 pages, 1974.

This volume examines the activities of the first native person to be ordained in the Anglican Church in the missions of Manitoba and Saskatchewan during the late 19^th century.

Gateway City: Documents on the City of Winnipeg, 1873-1913
edited and introduced by Alan F. J. Artibise, 288 pages, 1979.

From the Riel Resistance of 1870 to the outbreak of the First World War, Winnipeg was Western Canada’s most exciting city. These documents, collected from various public sources, are central to an understanding of its development in this period.

Phillips in Print: The Selected Writings of Walter J. Phillips on Canadian Nature and Art
selected and edited by Maria Tippett and Douglas Cole, 156 pages, 1982.

The writings of Walter J. Phillips (1884-1962) offer a fascinating look into the life of an important and beloved painter and printmaker, and also illuminate the art world of Manitoba and Western Canada in the formative years between the two world wars.

The Collected Writings of Lord Selkirk, 1799-1809
edited and introduced by J. M. Bumsted, 372 pages, 1984.

This volume, the first of two which collects and reprints the early writings of Lord Selkirk, provides insight into the life of a man known to most Canadians as the founder of the Red River Colony. Selkirk emerges not merely as a man of action but also one of ideas.

The Wheat King: Selected Letters and Papers of A. J. Cotton, 1888-1913
edited and introduced by Wendy Owen, 166 pages, 1985.

A. J. Cotton (1858-1942) became known as Manitoba’s “Wheat King” because of the size and quality of his crops. Unlike most early farmers, Cotton preserved extensive accounts and a massive correspondence. This volume of selected letters and papers provides an intimate glimpse into life on the rural prairies before the First World War.

The Collected Writings of Lord Selkirk, 1810-1820
edited and introduced by J. M. Bumsted, 283 pages, 1987.

This volume, the second of two which collects and reprints the later writings of Lord Selkirk, helps to show that Selkirk was neither villain nor hero, but a complex and often brilliant man caught in a web of circumstances.

The Modern Beginnings of Subarctic Ornithology: Northern Correspondence with the Smithsonian Institution, 1856-1868
edited and introduced by Debra Lindsay, 226 pages, 1991.

In the mid-1850s, HBC fur traders joined with aboriginal peoples to provide information and specimens to the newly formed Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. This book focuses on correspondence between the Smithsonian and its northern collectors of birds and eggs, providing insight into nineteenth century science.

Ottawa at War: The Grant Dexter Memoranda, 1939-1945
edited and introduced by Frederick W. Gibson and Barbara Robertson, 513 pages, 1994.

During the Second World War, powerful men in the Canadian government trusted Grant Dexter, a long-time Winnipeg Free Press correspondent, with some of their most confidential information. Dexter wrote voluminously and a generous sampling of his memoranda and letters is reprinted in this book.

A Great Movement Underway: Women and The Grain Growers’ Guide, 1908-1928
edited and introduced by Barbara E. Kelcey and Angela E. Davis, 253 pages, 1997.

Between 1908 and 1928, The Grain Growers’ Guide was the official weekly newspaper of the United Grain Growers Association. Reproduced in this volume are a selection of letter and editorials which reflect the topics of interest to its editorial staff and readers.

MHS News Archive

	Manitoba: The Birth of a Province edited by W. L. Morton, 265 pages, 1965. This collection of rare documents, compiled by a noted Manitoba historian, provides a readable and vivid account of the conflict of purposes that led to the birth of Manitoba in 1870.
	The Dafoe-Sifton Correspondence, 1919-1927 edited by Ramsay Cook, 310 pages, 1966. This volume reprints a collection of articulate correspondence between politician Clifford Sifton, owner of the Manitoba Free Press newspaper in the early 20^th century, and his editor John W. Dafoe. It provides insight into the lives of these prominent men and the many issues and personalities which filled this period.
	The James Wickes Taylor Correspondence, 1859-1870 edited by Hartwell Bowsfield, 193 pages, 1968. Over a period of 23 years as the US representative in Winnipeg, James W. Taylor was a popular figure in the social and business life of the British North West. This collection of his early correspondence covers the period when Americans were keenly interested in acquiring the territory.
	The Diary of the Reverend Henry Budd, 1870-1875 edited by Katherine Pettipas, 198 pages, 1974. This volume examines the activities of the first native person to be ordained in the Anglican Church in the missions of Manitoba and Saskatchewan during the late 19^th century.
	Gateway City: Documents on the City of Winnipeg, 1873-1913 edited and introduced by Alan F. J. Artibise, 288 pages, 1979. From the Riel Resistance of 1870 to the outbreak of the First World War, Winnipeg was Western Canada’s most exciting city. These documents, collected from various public sources, are central to an understanding of its development in this period.
	Phillips in Print: The Selected Writings of Walter J. Phillips on Canadian Nature and Art selected and edited by Maria Tippett and Douglas Cole, 156 pages, 1982. The writings of Walter J. Phillips (1884-1962) offer a fascinating look into the life of an important and beloved painter and printmaker, and also illuminate the art world of Manitoba and Western Canada in the formative years between the two world wars.
	The Collected Writings of Lord Selkirk, 1799-1809 edited and introduced by J. M. Bumsted, 372 pages, 1984. This volume, the first of two which collects and reprints the early writings of Lord Selkirk, provides insight into the life of a man known to most Canadians as the founder of the Red River Colony. Selkirk emerges not merely as a man of action but also one of ideas.
	The Wheat King: Selected Letters and Papers of A. J. Cotton, 1888-1913 edited and introduced by Wendy Owen, 166 pages, 1985. A. J. Cotton (1858-1942) became known as Manitoba’s “Wheat King” because of the size and quality of his crops. Unlike most early farmers, Cotton preserved extensive accounts and a massive correspondence. This volume of selected letters and papers provides an intimate glimpse into life on the rural prairies before the First World War.
	The Collected Writings of Lord Selkirk, 1810-1820 edited and introduced by J. M. Bumsted, 283 pages, 1987. This volume, the second of two which collects and reprints the later writings of Lord Selkirk, helps to show that Selkirk was neither villain nor hero, but a complex and often brilliant man caught in a web of circumstances.
	The Modern Beginnings of Subarctic Ornithology: Northern Correspondence with the Smithsonian Institution, 1856-1868 edited and introduced by Debra Lindsay, 226 pages, 1991. In the mid-1850s, HBC fur traders joined with aboriginal peoples to provide information and specimens to the newly formed Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. This book focuses on correspondence between the Smithsonian and its northern collectors of birds and eggs, providing insight into nineteenth century science.
	Ottawa at War: The Grant Dexter Memoranda, 1939-1945 edited and introduced by Frederick W. Gibson and Barbara Robertson, 513 pages, 1994. During the Second World War, powerful men in the Canadian government trusted Grant Dexter, a long-time Winnipeg Free Press correspondent, with some of their most confidential information. Dexter wrote voluminously and a generous sampling of his memoranda and letters is reprinted in this book.
	A Great Movement Underway: Women and The Grain Growers’ Guide, 1908-1928 edited and introduced by Barbara E. Kelcey and Angela E. Davis, 253 pages, 1997. Between 1908 and 1928, The Grain Growers’ Guide was the official weekly newspaper of the United Grain Growers Association. Reproduced in this volume are a selection of letter and editorials which reflect the topics of interest to its editorial staff and readers.