Abstract
Many of Canada’s superb national parks owe their existence to James Bernard Harkin (1875–1955), the first commissioner of Canada’s new Dominion Parks Branch in 1911. Ted Hart follows Harkin’s career from his apprenticeship in the Department of the Interior to his retirement in 1936, and presents Harkin as a major force in early Canadian parks and wildlife conservation. He supported Canadian wildlife conservation at its inception, created the world’s first park service, and developed major park policies. Conservationists, serious history enthusiasts, and those with an interest in Canada’s national parks will enjoy this biography of a multifaceted and significant individual.