The sea is the basic reality of Canada’s Maritimes. Its influence -- at once a source of wealth and impoverishment, both unifying and divisive -- is the major theme of Professor MacNutt’s book, the first general history of the Maritimes. Their rich fishing bounty, the harassment of settlers, Loyalist migration, absentee landlords, controversy over free land grants, Protestant-Catholic antagonism, and distressing economic conditions are just some of the factors which made these areas a cockpit of contending forces -- English, French, American. From the often precarious conditions of the Acadians in the highly strategic region of Newfoundland to the tested neutrality of Nova Scotia during the American Revolution, to the slow progress of responsible government in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and the defining of “Liberal” and “Conservative” in Nova Scotia, the history of attraction and repulsion towards New England is one of the fascinating features of Professor MacNutt’s narrative. While not neglecting their particularity, he clearly indicates the common features of the Atlantic provinces’ development.