The Robber Baron of Canadian Literature

Any recognition of distinguished disservice to Canadian literature must highlight American publisher Lewis Coues Page (1869–1956). Only a tenured professor or two of my acquaintance has exhibited greater staying power when it comes to punishing Canadian writers, and Page wielded his cudgel while his victims were alive. From the historical novelist William Kirby (The Golden Dog) to Canada’s best-loved juvenile writer Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942), Page tattooed his maledictions upon the lives and careers of “his” authors. His story needs retelling.

Philanderer, gambler, publisher, Page dominated the lucrative “juveniles” corner of the publishing trade around the beginning of the 20th century. Annie Fellows Johnston’s Little Colonel series, Laura E. Richard’s Captain January, Margaret Marshall Saunders’s Beautiful Joe, Eleanor H. Porter’s Pollyanna and, above all, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s Anne series: these cash machines let Page...