"Jack McClelland was a pioneer in Canadian publishing. In the late fifties and sixties - at a time when many Canadians did not believe that they had a literature, or if they did have one, it wasn't very good or interesting - he swung onto the scene like a swashbuckling pirate. He took chances on authors, published them with fanfare, and promoted them in daring and original ways, and he remained loyal to them...." - Margaret Atwood Sam Solecki presents an elegant selection of the letters of Jack McClelland. Sorted chronologically, the letters between the preeminent publisher and leading Canadian authors of the fifties, sixties and seventies offer an inside view of the personalities that contributed to Canada's position in the international publishing market. Featuring Margaret Atwood Pierre Berton Earle Birney Leonard Cohen Margaret Laurence Irving Layton Farley Mowat Peter C. Newman Mordecai Richler Gabrielle Roy Michael Ondaatje Al Purdy