Champlain Society

The Champlain Society is a Toronto-based Canadian nonprofit organization that advances the study of Canadian history by publishing carefully edited editions of primary historical sources. Its publications draw on voyages, travel accounts, correspondence, diaries, government records, memoranda, scientific writings, political papers, business records, and community histories. The Society is named for Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer, cartographer, founder of New France, and author of several important accounts of early European exploration in North America. The organization originated in a 1905 lecture delivered to the Canadian Club in Toronto by Charles W. Colby, then chair of McGill University's history department. Colby argued that Canada needed an institution comparable to British and American historical societies that preserved and reprinted documentary evidence. The lecture influenced Sir Edmund Walker, a banker, philanthropist, and public intellectual, who soon approached George M. Wrong of the University of Toronto and James Bain, chief librarian of the Toronto Public Library. Together, they developed a subscription-based publishing society intended to build a membership of individuals and libraries. Members would support the publication program and receive scholarly volumes in return. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier was among the early members. The Society's first volume, an edition of Marc Lescarbot's History of New France prepared by W. L. Grant and Henry Percival Biggar, appeared in 1907. The organization expanded rapidly, producing ten books within its first decade. It was formally chartered in Ontario in 1927 and became the oldest Canadian society devoted specifically to this type of documentary historical publishing. By 2005, it had issued more than 100 books, and its catalog has continued to develop around the interpretation and preservation of Canada's documentary heritage. Although the original emphasis was on exploration and early travel narratives, the publishing program broadened considerably. Later volumes addressed Indigenous life, geography, ethnology, natural history, science, foreign policy, political affairs, governors general, business history, and the histories of particular communities. Authors and subjects represented in the series include Samuel de Champlain, Marc Lescarbot, Nicolas Denys, Samuel Hearne, John Knox, David Thompson, Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye, John Palliser, John Franklin, Gabriel Franchère, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, Joseph-François Lafitau, and John Norton. Some works include original French passages, although the Society's editions are published in English. The Society's distinctive value lies in editorial context. Its books generally include introductions, annotations, bibliographies, maps, illustrations, and other scholarly material that help specialists and general readers understand the documents and assess their significance. Since its early years, many volumes have been recognizable by their red bindings, embossed crest, and historical illustrations. The Society now publishes approximately one volume per year and makes digital full-text versions of its publications available to members through its website. Beyond publishing, the Champlain Society supports public engagement with historical records. It holds an annual general meeting in October at the Archives of the City of Toronto, circulates the monthly archival bulletin Findings/Trouvailles, and has participated in symposia, conferences, and other meetings concerned with documentary history. Its Witness to Yesterday podcast series, produced with students and academic partners, presents explorations of Canada's past in an audio format. The Society also administers the Floyd S. Chalmers Award for Ontario History, an annual prize supported by an endowment and awarded to the best book on an aspect of Ontario history published during the preceding year. It is administered by a voluntary, unpaid council and officer group and remains a membership-based historical organization.

The Champlain Society emerged from a campaign for a Canadian institution dedicated to preserving and publishing documentary evidence. In March 1905, Charles W. Colby, a McGill University historian, spoke to the Canadian Club in Toronto on the relationship between history and patriotism. He pointed to historical societies in Britain and the United States that had made important source materials available through republication and argued that Canada needed a comparable organization. The lecture led Sir Edmund Walker, president of the Canadian Bank of Commerce and a prominent philanthropist, to contact George M. Wrong of the University of Toronto and James Bain, chief librarian of the Toronto Public Library. They developed the Champlain Society as a nonprofit subscription publisher. The original model sought 500 members, divided between individual subscribers and libraries, with each member contributing ten dollars and receiving two books annually. Wilfrid Laurier became an early member, and George Wrong helped shape the initial editorial program. The first publication was the opening volume of Marc Lescarbot's History of New France, edited by W. L. Grant and Henry Percival Biggar, issued in 1907. The Society published ten books during its first decade. Its early editorial work was not merely mechanical reprinting: editors had to resolve questions about translation, interpretation, spelling, and style, especially when working with early French and English texts. The resulting editions attempted to preserve historical evidence while providing readable and useful texts for modern audiences. Walker served as president until his death in 1924. He was followed by a succession of historians, archivists, librarians, public officials, and other scholars. The Society was formally chartered in Ontario in 1927. Its initial emphasis on exploration gradually expanded. Alongside accounts of voyages and travel, the catalog came to include correspondence, scientific and natural-history observations, foreign-policy records, political papers, material relating to governors general, business history, community history, and documentary evidence concerning Indigenous life and societies. The publication list has included writings associated with Samuel de Champlain, Marc Lescarbot, Nicolas Denys, Chrétien Le Clercq, Samuel Hearne, John Knox, David Thompson, Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye, John McLean, François du Creux, Gabriel Sagard, Sieur de Dièreville, Sir Hovenden Walker, Alexander Begg, Alexander Henry, John Palliser, John Franklin, Gabriel Franchère, and Pierre-Esprit Radisson. It has also published material connected with Indigenous history, including works by Joseph-François Lafitau and John Norton. The editions generally contain introductions, notes, maps, illustrations, bibliographies, and explanations of the documents' relevance to Canadian history. By 2005, the Society had published more than 100 books and had become Canada's longest-established organization focused on this form of documentary historical publishing. It continues to publish primarily in English, while some editions retain original French passages. Its traditional volumes are associated with red bindings and an embossed crest. In the digital era, the Society has made full-text digital versions of its publications available to members through its website and has maintained an annual publishing rhythm of approximately one volume. The organization's work extends beyond books. It holds an annual general meeting in October at the Archives of the City of Toronto, issues the monthly Findings/Trouvailles bulletin about notable archival discoveries, and organizes or contributes to conferences, symposia, and meetings about Canadian documentary history. Through Witness to Yesterday, a podcast series recorded with students at the Allan Slaight Radio Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, it has also developed a public-facing audio format. The Society administers the Floyd S. Chalmers Award for Ontario History, established through an endowment from Floyd Sherman Chalmers and awarded annually for the best book on an aspect of Ontario history published in the preceding year. The organization remains a registered nonprofit charity operated by a voluntary and unpaid council and officer group.

• 2023

  Lawrence Ostola became president

  [1]Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Lawrence Ostola succeeded Michel S. Beaulieu as president.

• 2005

  More than 100 books published

  [1]Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org

  By its centennial period, the Society had issued more than 100 documentary and scholarly volumes.

• 1927

  Ontario charter

  [1]Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Champlain Society was formally chartered in Ontario as a nonprofit organization.

• 1924

  End of Edmund Walker presidency

  [1]Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Edmund Walker, the Society's founding president, died after leading the organization from its creation.

• 1907

  First publication issued

  [1]Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org

  The Society published the first volume of an edited edition of Marc Lescarbot's History of New France.

• 1905

  Society conceived after Canadian Club lecture

  [1]Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org

  Charles W. Colby's lecture on history and patriotism prompted Edmund Walker, George M. Wrong, and James Bain to create a Canadian documentary publishing society.

A membership-supported Canadian historical society and specialist publisher that combines rigorous documentary editing with public access to the country's exploration, political, social, Indigenous, scientific, and community history.

• Scholarly documentary books · 1907

  Champlain Society Publications

  The Society's principal offering is a continuing series of scholarly editions of Canadian primary sources. Volumes cover exploration, travel, correspondence, diaries, government records, political affairs, science, business, Indigenous history, geography, natural history, and community life. Editors provide introductions, notes, maps, illustrations, bibliographies, and other apparatus so that both researchers and general readers can interpret the original material.

• Digital historical reference

  Digital publication library

  The Society's website provides members with access to digital full-text versions of its publications. This extends the reach of its historical editions beyond physical library holdings and supports searching and reading across the Society's long-running documentary catalog.

• Historical bulletin

  Findings/Trouvailles

  Findings/Trouvailles is a monthly bulletin highlighting particularly interesting archival discoveries made by Society members. It complements the formal publication series by drawing attention to newly noticed or especially useful documentary materials.

• Podcast

  Witness to Yesterday

  Witness to Yesterday is an audio series exploring episodes and themes in Canada's past. The program has been recorded at the Allan Slaight Radio Institute with student participation and has received partial support from the L. R. Wilson Institute for Canadian History at McMaster University.

• History award

  Floyd S. Chalmers Award for Ontario History

  Administered by the Champlain Society, this annual award recognizes the best book on any aspect of Ontario history published during the previous calendar year. It was created through an endowment from Floyd Sherman Chalmers.

1. 1Champlain Societyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Champlain Society official websitechamplainsociety.ca