p. 209: Peter Fidler, Hudson’s Bay Company servant [surveyor] 1788-1822, was one of the first owners and collectors of books in Rupert’s Land. His penchant for books was not an isolated case of individualism gone berserk, but his permanent acquisition of vast numbers of books was a unique occurrence in Rupert’s Land…. Fidler’s library eventually reached five hundred volumes, a massive collection for a man of modest means.
[Interesting piece but she makes some wild deductions that won’t stand up: e.g. “That he had such a large library indicates the breadth and complexity of his thought.” (p. 212). Fidler left his journals and maps to HBC and his printed books and maps to the Red River Colony. It was downhill from there on. (p. 218-19).