He Spoke Volumes

Between 1925 and 1962, the Ryerson Press produced a series of 200 poetry chapbooks: a monumental achievement in the history of Canadian literature, despite the diminutive proportions and limited circulation of the books themselves. These publications had little to no commercial potential, yet they represented a significant ideological investment on the part of their editor, Lorne Pierce, and the authors who wrote them.

Although they were flimsy to the touch — thin booklets of eight to sixteen pages, mostly bound in paper — the chapbooks were striking in appearance. Until 1942, their covers were adorned with a woodcut by J. E. H. MacDonald, of the Group of Seven: the scene featured trees, a river, mountains, and the flower symbols of five provinces; at the centre, pine cones burst forth from a lyre and evoked the power of poetry to unite the nation. The contents of the chapbooks, each...