History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects

by Joan Dawson

Nova Scotia is known for its appeal to treasure hunters, but many of its relics can be found above ground. They are the items in the province’s over two hundred museums—their stories pressed between diary pages, painted on antique wallpaper, and painstakingly sewn into elaborate patterns.

Armed with a spirit of adventure, curiosity, and the belief that “treasures can be found in unlikely places,” historian Joan Dawson has scoured Nova Scotia’s National Heritage Sites and community museums for the fifty objects that best “embody the history and culture” of the province.

With fascinating detail, A History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects explores the items whose collective stories form the province’s historical fabric. From prehistory to present-day, Dawson unearths everything from Mi’kmaw quillwork to buried Acadian treasure, uncovering each object’s legacy. In this remarkably unique history, readers are invited to discover objects both familiar and strange as they embark on an interactive treasure hunt around the province.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2015

About the author

Joan Dawson is a fellow of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society and a member of the Lunenburg County Historical Society, the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Archaeology Society, and the Antiquarian Club of Halifax.

She is the author of several books of Nova Scotia history, including Nova Scotia’s Historic Rivers, Nova Scotia’s Lost Highways, and The Mapmakers’ Legacy, and has written many articles on maps and local history.

Joan lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Reviews

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read The History of the World in 100 Objects on which Joan Dawson got the idea to write this book and I loved them both.