"None of us needs to be reminded that for much of the year Canada is a bitterly cold country. But, out of this adversity has sprung a genuinely Canadian folk art with a truly practical purpose - warmth and style. The history of hand-knit garments in Canada - from toques and scarves to sweaters and blankets - is an honourable and varied one that has fulfilled two primal needs - insulation and decoration - for many generations of Canadians. Not surprisingly, this craft shows no signs of dying out: to the contrary, demand for hand-knit garments has never been greater, and the proliferation of wool shops, knitting clubs, and how-to books testifies to the ever-increasing popularity of hand knitting in Canada. In Canada Knits, Shirley Scott, a self-described 'fifth generation Canadian born into a family of knitters', explores the history of Canadian knitting through diaries, memoirs, anecdotes, and oral histories. She uncovers instances of famous Canadians who were knitters, from Arctic explorers and labour leaders to hockey players, missionaries, and perhaps even a Father of Confederation. Queen Elizabeth II wore baby clothes made by Canadian knitters and each of her children has worn Canadian-knit sweaters. Like knitting itself, Canada Knits will provide hours of joy and enlightenment. Sure to become a treasured artefact both for knitters and for lovers of Canadian folklore." --

The years from 1919 to 1935 were not years in which defence was of pressing importance to the majority of Canadian politicians, yet this does not mean that the history of Ottawa's defence policies in this period of 'the fire-proof house' is dull or trivial. Professor Eayrs has had access to most of the documents, files, and diaries of these years, and from them has evolved a fascinating and well-written account of the attitudes and thoughts - and personalities - dominant at this time. Included in this survey are the story of the expedition to Siberia, the first account of the birth of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the defensive campaign waged by Walter Hose for the survival of the Canadian Navy, the founding of General McNaughton's 'Royal Twenty-Centers,' and many other aspects of the military history of Canada in those years. Seen from the present day some episodes have, it must be admitted, a wry folly to them. The central thesis or moral that emerges from the work is that military and diplomatic considerations ought to be indissolubly combined in study and analysis as well as in formulation and execution.