For an editor, Gibson is a pretty good storyteller. Who happens to have edited some of the biggest names in Canadian literature. He also seems to be a good dinner companion, as he has spent a lot of time with his authors at their cottages.

Each "chapter" is a vignette of their relationship with Gibson, and with writing. Woven in the stories is a history of Canadian Publishing too. Absurdly populated by a bushel of Scots, by the way.

As an English major, it's almost shameful to admit there were one or two authors that I did not know - James Houston, for one. Gibson's fond recollections of Davies, MacLeod and Munro inspired me to want to go back to read them again.

He even managed to reveal a somewhat admirable side of Mulroney, which is saying a lot.

I'd recommend this book 2 ways: if you're a fan of Canadian fiction (especially our mid-20th Century authors), or if you don't know much about Canadian fiction, because Gibson does such a great job of introducing some amazing "characters".