Dont take our word for it
Caledon Living (Winter 2007)---reviewed by Gloria Hildebrandt
This oversized coffee table book is a glorious collection of images of beavers, Mounties, maple leaves and Canadian memorabilia. Browsing this volume is a walk down memory lane, as you may recognize items that you still possess or now wish you had kept. The impressive photography was done by Matthew Beverly.
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CAA Magazine(Winter 2007)
The Mountie, the maple leaf and the beaver are the Three Musketeers of Canadian iconography. They’re everywhere, and now there’s a book to prove it. The Maple Leaf Forever: A Celebration of Canadian Symbols(Boston Mills Press, 2006) is written by Donna and Nigel Hutchins.
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The Beaver(February/March 2007)
Whether eliciting a surprised guffaw or sentimental sigh, each page of The Maple Leaf Forever delights with colour, flair , and pride.
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Canadian Camera(Winter 2006/2007)---reviewed by Carol Desormeaux
The Mountie, the maple leaf and the beaver are considered the essential images of Canada. The Hutchinses share their their own amazing, amusing Canadian antique and folk-art collection, complimented by pieces from museums and private sources.
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Winnipeg Free Press(Winnipeg, MB) 03.12.2006
We all know that Canadian symbols exist. In a fun and entertaining way, this gorgeous book jams hundreds of Canadian iconic images and memories into its pages.
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Quebec Home and School News (December 2006)
This is the perfect coffee table book for the holiday season. If you have already bought your presents, then don’t forget the next birthday or anniversary celebration on your calendar. Everyone will enjoy this entertaining and informative collection.
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Kitchener-Waterloo Record News(December 9, 2006)---reviewed by John Roe
National unity crisis? What national unity crisis? Dive into this splendidly illustrated exploration of Canadian symbols and discover how ageless icons have helped to define the True North Strong and Free---and hold it together Read this book to laugh to learn, to long for our past and to love Canada today.
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[One of "Style at Home"'s Top Ten Coffee Table Books] Sure to amuse and entertain.
- Kat Tancock Style at Home 2006 10
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In a fun and entertaining way, this gorgeous book jams hundreds of Canadian iconic images and memories into its pages. You will be seeing red and white before you can put it down.
- Joe Bryksa Winnipeg Free Press 2006 12 03
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[Globe and Mail 2006 Holiday Gift Book selection] A long succession of arresting colour images.
- Globe and Mail 2006 12 09
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Richly illustrated and a text with historical relevance, this book is a national treasure.
- Barbara Sutton-Smith Antique and Collectibles Showcase 2006 09
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If it smacks of Canada chances are Donna and Nigel Hutchins have it... the best of their vast collection has been brought together in a beautiful, if unwieldy, coffee-table book.
- Alison Broverman National Post 2006 10 07
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A wonderful collection of wonderful and wacky things... beautifully photographed and designed, and the author's text is both informative and entertaining.
- Jim Barber Simcoe.com 2006 10 22
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Canada and Canadiana, in a large format graphic book, bridging the gap, in a most compelling way, between traditional and pop culture... the photography, by Matthew Beverly, contains wonderfully presented, large format images, reproduced in full color to a very high standard.
- J. Herbert Bond The Upper Canadian 2006 11
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Discover maple leaf imagery, some as old as 100 years, on the oddest and most unlikely objects ... and learn about their story ... and learn about their story.
- Laila Maalouf Destinations 2006 12 01
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Kitschy, kitschy Canadiana.
- National Post 2006 12 02
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Dive into this splendidly illustrated exploration of Canadian symbols and discover how three ageless icons have helped dine the True North Strong and Free -- and hold it together. ... Read this book to laugh, to learn, to long for our past and to love Canada today.
- Guelph Mercury 2006 12 09
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A gorgeous... book filled with iconic Canadian images.
- Pamela Klaffke Calgary Herald 2006 12 10
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A richly illustrated celebration of Canadian symbols that runs the gamut from 100-year-old antiques to kitschy souvenirs... An extraordinarily beautiful book that plumbs the history of these symbols.
- James MacGowan Ottawa Citizen 2006 12 10
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A visual feast for the eyes... a beautiful volume that every Canadian family should enjoy together.
- Deborah Wiles Halifax Chronicle Herald 2006 12 10
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An amazing photographic collection... No doubt readers will recognize many familiar items on these pages, and leave with a new appreciation of their beauty and place in Canadian history.
- Wayne Newton London Free Press 2006 12 09
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Jim Barber
Published: Sun, Oct 22nd, 2006
The Maple Leaf Forever: A Celebration of Canadian Symbols
By Donna and Nigel Hutchins
The Boston Mills Press, 224 pages This coffee-table book is a Canadiana fan's delight. Inside, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of objects, images and photos of both ordinary and extraordinary things.
What they have in common is the distinctly Canuck symbols of the Mountie, the maple leaf and the beaver.
This is more than a wonderful collection of wonderful and wacky things, it is also, in a sense, a history of advertising and graphic arts - how these three iconic national symbols have been used to promote products, tourism and pride. It's also a neat book for collectors and antique hunters who may be looking at other topical avenues in which to indulge their passion.
Whole cottage industries have been set up south of the border for those interested in hoarding so-called Americana, and it's a similarly growing phenomenon up here in the great white north, as people begun to understand the intrinsic, and material value of uniquely Canadian stuff. This is a beautifully photographed and designed book, and the author's text is both informative and entertaining. It's a great gift idea too.
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"What an incredible book. I was totally in awe of the passion people have for our great land . . through the wacky, marvelous and brilliant things people have collected through the years . . this book manages to capture what it truly is to be Canadian."
- Rob Chan, Excaliber Comics