Genealogy Australia

Here is a narrative of first hand experience in the service of the Hudson Bay Company during the 1840s. This was the first book written by Robert Michael Ballantyne (1825-1894) although not his first experience at writing as he spent much of his free time in Canada writing down his adventures so his mother could read what an experience her son was having.

It was not until the end of his period of employment that he decided to rewrite his experiences in book form. When published his book was so successful that he continued to write. Although this is the only one based on actual experience, he always researched the background to his stories carefully. Being written as much to entertain as to instruct, this book is easy to read and has the feel of a novel - even containing dialogue in some places. On the whole, it is a true account of the actual personal experience of the author during his six years spent in Canada.