This volume consists of excerpts from journals, diaries and reports of geographical explorations into the western interior of Canada from the first known journeys of Jens Munck and Luke Foxe up to the scientific surveys undertaken in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This classic study in modern historical geography reflects the changing regional character of that part of North America that was to become Canada. "A pioneering bench-mark for future researchers, recognized for its scholarly as well as its literary qualities." Journal of Historical Geography.