This is the first annotated anthology of Canadian poetry and prose, from the eighteenth century to the present. Volume I contains the work of 40 writers. Some 200 pages are devoted to poetry and 350 pages to prose, which includes not only short fiction but five autobiographical pieces, eight essays of literary criticism, and a play. There are many cross-connections - in related subject matter, in the criticism and memoirs that reflect on other selections - so that the anthology offers a firm context for the study not only of individual writers but of the literary culture of Canada.