Oeuvres de Champlain   By: Samuel de Champlain (1567-1635)

Oeuvres de Champlain by Samuel de Champlain is a comprehensive collection of the explorer's writings, providing valuable insights into early European exploration of North America. Champlain's journals and reports offer a first-hand account of his travels and interactions with Indigenous peoples, shedding light on the complexities of colonial encounters.

The book is well-organized and extensively annotated, making it accessible to readers with a range of backgrounds. The editor's introductions and notes help to contextualize Champlain's writings and provide additional historical context. The inclusion of maps and illustrations further enhances the reader's understanding of Champlain's explorations.

One of the strengths of this collection is its inclusion of a diverse range of Champlain's writings, including not only his famous accounts of his voyages to New France, but also lesser-known texts such as his treatises on navigation and cartography. This variety of material showcases Champlain's versatility as a writer and thinker, and offers a more complete portrait of the man behind the explorer.

Overall, Oeuvres de Champlain is a valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of European exploration and colonization of North America. Champlain's writings provide a unique perspective on this period of history, and this collection presents them in a well-curated and accessible format.

First Page:

Dès le moment que l'on commença à étudier plus intimement l'histoire du Canada, on sentit de suite la nécessité de recourir aux sources, et de s'appuyer sur des documents irréprochables. Naturellement, l'historien devait tout d'abord porter ses regards sur l'un des plus anciens, comme des plus fidèles témoins de nos origines canadiennes, sur celui que tout le pays peut à bon droit revendiquer comme son père et son fondateur, sur Champlain. La part immense qu'il prit aux premières fondations tant civiles que religieuses de ce pays, sa droiture, son intégrité, l'étendue et la variété de ses connaissances, la position avantageuse qu'il occupait vis à vis des personnages les plus influents de la cour de France, suffiraient sans doute pour donner à sa parole la plus haute autorité... Continue reading book >>