Author Description

The immense stone Fortress of Louisbourg evokes the France of the eighteenth century and the last French command of empire in America. Begun in 1713, it was totally destroyed by the British in 1760. In the days of its greatness, Louisbourg was the mightiest fortress on this continent, a bustling harbour city, livelier than Québec - a marvel of France in the New World.Now at Louisbourg one of the most extensive reconstructions in the world is steadily nearing completion. Inside its walls it is once again 1744. Cannons thunder from the ramparts in a feu de joie. The great clock ticks again in the Engineer's kitchen. In the Hotel de la Marine a sailor's lunch is served with rum in pewter pots. One can visualize the citizens of Louisbourg, unaware of impending disaster, going about their concerns of the moment in a setting that is both proud and elegant, rough and lonely.Louisbourg is a cultural set-piece, where the passage of time has been minimized. This book has been carefully crafted to provide a re-creation in words and pictures of a very specific era. The scenes and events portrayed move us to think about the things we have in common with our ancestors, how much of life remains the same from age to age.