Robert Dawson – författare

For more than a generation this concise survey has been the classic introduction to the fundamental ideas and structure of Canadian government and the practice of democracy in this country. It examines the various elements of federal government — the House of Commons, the cabinet, the Senate, the monarchy and governor-general, the public service, and the courts — and of provincial and municipal governments, and explores their interrelationships.In this new edition Norman Ward has incorporated the many changes in government since his last revision in 1971.

In the late summer of 1944 the people and Government of Canada had every reason to view with satisfaction the progress of the war and their own part in it. The landing in Normandy had been successful, the enemy was in retreat from Belgium and Holland, Germany itself had been entered. The end of hostilities in Europe seemed in sight, and the Canadian Government in October began to plan for the celebrations to take place on the day victory was announced. Suddenly this atmosphere of imminent success and relaxed tension was broken by the unexpected re-appearance of the ghost of conscription.In mid-October Colonel Ralston, the Minister of National Defence, returned abruptly from an inspection trip overseas to report to Prime Minister King that infantry reinforcements for the units fighting in Italy and Northwest Europe were an acute problem and that there seemed no hope of increasing them to the required numbers in the required time. Many, from the Minister himself down, felt that the manpower pools could only be filled by immediate conscription from overseas service of men already called up for home defence under the National Resources Mobilization Act. The Government of Canada was thus confronted with a crisis of the first magnitude, which brought with it  the threat of a schism that would cripple the war effort and set people against people, province against province for many years to come.This book provides an engrossing account of how between mid-October and mid-November this crisis was faced and resolved. Professor Dawson is keenly aware of the drama in the clash of personalities, of political views, of beliefs and conducts the eagerly following reader day by day through absorbing events and discussions to the morning of November 22 when Prime Minister King decided on the Order-in-Council drafting 16,000 men. The moment of solution was a historic one: conscription had been put forward by the majority in such a fashion that the minority could accept it, if not with enthusiasm, at least with substantial goodwill. The contrast with 1917 was inescapable.Professor Dawson has given a brilliant essays on the relation of political decision to popular consent in a democracy and it will attract and hold the attention of everyone interested in the arts of government.

When William Lyon Mackenzie King retired in 1948, he had held office as Prime Minister of Canada for a total of 7829 days, a longer term of service than that of any other Prime Minister in the history of the British Commonwealth. Like Roosevelt, his contemporary of many momentous years, he was greatly admired and greatly hated, but none dispute the tremendous influence he exerted on the history of his country, or, indeed, his place in world history. In this official biography, great days of Canadian history are given life and meaning, and at the centre of all the events is a phenomenal personality gifted with intelligence, intrepidity, and luck, with amazing insight into his times and the nature of his political occupation.The biography, based largely on sources hitherto unavailable, permits the reader to witness the unfolding of important events as a chief participant himself saw them and to view far-reaching decisions through the eyes of the man who made them, for Mackenzie King speaks in his own words through much of these volumes. They allow us to observe an extraordinarily complex and powerful personality at work.In this first volume, Mackenzie King's life and political career are traced up to the firm establishment of his first administration as Prime Minister. The forces in is background, education, and early interests which eventually led him into politics are brought out vividly. It is both fascinating and touching, for instance, to observe in letters and personal papers the intimate family relationships which so largely determined what Mackenzie Kind became. Once public service had been chosen, he displayed such talents that a leading role seems almost inevitable to all who knew him.

In this unusual book - unusual because unlike so many it's seen from the inside - Ryalla describes her life as a young child 'on the road', travelling in the family's waggon from place to place, her parents earning a living on farms or by making and selling household items from the hedgerow. The book bursts with laughter, drama and wonderful characters. Meet Pow Pow, Mangle Tit, Nos Nos, Off and On and his runaway dray - not forgetting Jan Jan the chicken and a host of other Gypsies. Times were hard in the late '50s and Christmas was basic but traditional. One or two Gypsies did better for themselves - one had a handbag filled with astonishing mysteries, another a car, whilst Ryalla's Mam aspired to and ultimately achieved an oven made from a biscuit tin. Had the Romany Gypsies but known it, it was the end of a traditional way of life and a difficult transition to a new one. This is a book for all lovers of Gypsy literature, the countryside, nostalgia and the unusual.

This volume deserves wide readership. Dawson was the first European to spend any length of time in the land and company of the aborigines of New South Wales. His highly readable and often hilarious account of his three years amongst these natives was written to give a true picture of this new country to potential immigrants and to redress the widely held opinion that the aborigines were mere savages. ] ]

Founded in 1932, the Folger Library in Washington, D.C. is the world's largest Shakespeare collection. It hosts millions of visitors - in person and online - each year. For two years, award-winning photographer Robert Dawson and independent curator Ellen Manchester went behind the scenes to document its diverse, lively, and sometimes surprising culture. Provided with full access, Dawson and Manchester offer a vivid look at life and work at the Folger, from its arts, outreach, teaching, and research programs to the delicate craft of book conservation. Dawson's images also depict topics that might seem too difficult to capture - the birth of ideas, the scope of digital research, and the staff and visitors' connection with Shakespeare and his works from Macbeth to A Midsummer Night's Dream.Along with photographs, the book also includes writer Jennifer Howard's exploration of the Folger's human side; a meditation on life, death, and the library by Stanford art historian Alexander Nemerov; and an essay by poet and playwright Afaa Michael Weaver on the many ways in which Shakespeare's works live on.