THE WHITE-HEADED EAGLE

A biography of John McLoughlin, one time virtual emperor of Vancouver and all that section embraced of the famous Hudsons' Bay Company territory and jurisdiction. An enlightening picture of the opening of the great northwest, of the struggle for supremacy, of the facts back of eventual American domination, of the human forces at work through a generation, of the diplomatic handling of successive problems with natives and encroaching Americans, of the daily round in the trading posts, of the men who came and went, great figures in our national development. An essential book for public libraries, for schools and colleges, as nowhere else is this particular side of the picture presented in so comprehensive, readable and thoroughly adequate a manner. The interest is perhaps too localized for wide popularity away from the western coast, particularly the northwest, of course; but as a reference book, it should be valuable everywhere. John McLoughlin is presented as an impressive figure, but his weaknesses and his mistakes are not glossed over nor minimized. The interest of the book lies, however, in the slice of life rather than in the picture of the man. The choice of the Catholic Book Club for February.