Transatlantic Tales and Essays
Published on 31. July 2025
Book
Hardback
596 pages
978-1-3995-0073-9 (ISBN)
Description
John Galt spent less than three years on the American continent, but his attention was directed toward it his entire life. In fictional tales about emigrants, settlers and Indigenous peoples, and in essays about colonisation, trade, slavery and emancipation, he addressed the past, present and future of transatlantic relationships. By collecting and contextualising all of his short tales alongside his non-fiction essays about North America and the Caribbean, this volume presents a more expansive and complete picture than ever before of Galt's transatlantic engagements. It includes writings that circulated widely in the nineteenth century but have since been lost from view, as well as new stories from his extant manuscripts that are published here for the first time.
Reviews / Votes
Thanks to Angela Esterhammer's inspired research and deft scholarship, this volume of Galt's Transatlantic writings assembles works that have been scattered among periodicals and manuscripts or obscured by pseudonymous publication. Her comprehensive introduction and informative notes lead the way to a fresh assessment of Galt's position in international affairs. -- Regina Hewitt, University of South FloridaMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
1 black and white illustration
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 52 mm
Weight
975 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3995-0073-9 (9781399500739)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
John Galt was a Scottish novelist, entrepreneur, and political and social commentator. Angela Esterhammer, FRSC, is Professor of English at the University of Toronto. Her publications include Print and Performance in the 1820s: Improvisation, Speculation, Identity (2020), Romanticism and Improvisation, 1750-1850 (2008), The Romantic Performative: Language and Action in British and German Romanticism (2000), and numerous articles on British and European Romantic poetry, fiction, and print culture. She is General Editor of the Edinburgh Edition of the Works of John Galt and previously edited Galt's Three Short Novels: Glenfell; Andrew of Padua, the Improvisatore; The Omen for the series.
Content
Preface to The Works of John Galt
Acknowledgements
Chronology of John Galt
Introduction
Historical and Biographical Contexts
Literary Contexts and Publication Venue
American Traditions, Canadian Sketches, and Indigenous Encounters
Societal Contexts: British and Americans
The Whole West Indian Question
Circulation, Reception, and Valediction
1. A Statistical Account of Upper Canada
2. America
3. Bandana on Emigration [1824]
4. Bandana on Colonial Undertakings
5. Bandana on Emigration [1826]
6. Colonial Discontent
7. Thoughts on the Times
8. Letters from New York
9. The Hurons - A Canadian Tale
10. The Colonial Question
11. The Spectre Ship of Salem
12. The Bell of St. Regis
13. Canadian Affairs
14. American Traditions [Cherockee]
15. The New Atlantis: An American Legend
16. Guelph in Upper Canada
17. Letters on West Indian Slavery
18. Means of Lessening the West Indian Distress
19. The Early Missionaries; or, The Discovery of the Falls of Niagara
20. The First Settlers on the Ohio: An American Story
21. The British North American Provinces
22. American Traditions [The Indian and the Hunter]
23. On the Domestic Manners of the British
24.The Canada Corn Trade
25. Scotch and Yankees. A Caricature
26. The British and Americans
27. The Whole West Indian Question
28. Outline of a Plan
29. Colonization
30. Mr Galt's Plan of Settling the Boundary Question with the Americans.
31. The Metropolitan Emigrant
32. Letters Concerning Projects of Improvement for Upper Canada
33. American Diplomacy
34. The Banished Covenanters
35. The Unknown Explorer of Upper Canada
A Note on the Texts
Emendations
End-of-line Hyphens
Explanatory Notes
Acknowledgements
Chronology of John Galt
Introduction
Historical and Biographical Contexts
Literary Contexts and Publication Venue
American Traditions, Canadian Sketches, and Indigenous Encounters
Societal Contexts: British and Americans
The Whole West Indian Question
Circulation, Reception, and Valediction
1. A Statistical Account of Upper Canada
2. America
3. Bandana on Emigration [1824]
4. Bandana on Colonial Undertakings
5. Bandana on Emigration [1826]
6. Colonial Discontent
7. Thoughts on the Times
8. Letters from New York
9. The Hurons - A Canadian Tale
10. The Colonial Question
11. The Spectre Ship of Salem
12. The Bell of St. Regis
13. Canadian Affairs
14. American Traditions [Cherockee]
15. The New Atlantis: An American Legend
16. Guelph in Upper Canada
17. Letters on West Indian Slavery
18. Means of Lessening the West Indian Distress
19. The Early Missionaries; or, The Discovery of the Falls of Niagara
20. The First Settlers on the Ohio: An American Story
21. The British North American Provinces
22. American Traditions [The Indian and the Hunter]
23. On the Domestic Manners of the British
24.The Canada Corn Trade
25. Scotch and Yankees. A Caricature
26. The British and Americans
27. The Whole West Indian Question
28. Outline of a Plan
29. Colonization
30. Mr Galt's Plan of Settling the Boundary Question with the Americans.
31. The Metropolitan Emigrant
32. Letters Concerning Projects of Improvement for Upper Canada
33. American Diplomacy
34. The Banished Covenanters
35. The Unknown Explorer of Upper Canada
A Note on the Texts
Emendations
End-of-line Hyphens
Explanatory Notes