Canada was coming into its own in the 1860s, according to writer Luella Creighton. First published a hundred years after Confederation, Creighton's book celebrates the thriving culture of Canada during its nascent years. No longer a land of pioneers and hardship, the New World was a place where travel, communication, and trade flourished, rivalling the cities of the Old World. Much of the book, a lively mix of fact and fiction, consists of narratives from foreigntravellers, many of whose expectations of burdened lives and economic privation change as they witness the elegance, hierarchy, and wealth that Canada had to offer.