Wilson, D: Thomas d'Arcy McGee, Volume 2 The Extreme Moderate, 1857-1868

"A magnificent achievement. The narrative has tension and momentum, even though we know the final tragic scene. This is the triumphant finale of years of scholarship and must rank as one of the great historical biographies of our time." Liam Kennedy, Queen's University, Belfast "[Wilson] demonstrates persuasively that D'Arcy McGee, erratic but often brilliant, was the poet, the orator and the most profound thinker of Canadian colonial politics. While Macdonald was a supreme practitioner of politics as the art of the possible, McGee was a representation incarnate of all the conflicts and reconciliations of religion, language, ethnicity and religion in 19th-century British North America." The Montreal Gazette "As in his impressive first volume, David A. Wilson's task has been to understand a personality who seemed 'congenitally incapable of walking a straight line' (p. 11). He was 42 when he died: how might he have responded to the Pacific Scandal and Louis Riel? This splendid biography provides material for speculation." British Journal of Canadian Studies "Altogether, both volumes make up a remarkable work of research and lucid writing, a compelling narrative of the man and his era. David Wilson conveys a sympathetic understanding of the tumult of real politics, the contradictions of real people, and the contributions of McGee to the ideals of this country." Victor Rabinovitch, Literary Review of Canada "The skillful blend of McGee's own words and Wilson's analysis will surely make even the most disinterested student of history feel at least a tiny bit prouder to be Canadian." Quill & Quire