Louisbourg: An 18th-century town

Louisbourg: An 18th-Century Town is an in-depth look at what was once a well-known settlement in the New World. As a seaport, Louisbourg possessed one of the busiest harbours in North America. As a fortress, it generated hope in French hearts and fear in British ones. As a community, it was home to thousands of men, women, and children: fishermen and soldiers, merchants and artisans, servants and seamstresses. Voltaire called the colony “the key” to French possessions in North America. Benjamin Franklin described it as a “tough nut to crack.” In the end, British prime minister William Pitt insisted that it be destroyed. Pitt got his wish, yet 200 years later, 18th-century Louisbourg rose again, this time as one of the world’s great outdoor museums. This well-crafted book, written by historians of the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site and teachers of the Cape Breton District School Board, is an entertaining and informative portrait of this 18th-century town. Its well-illustrated pages provide young readers with material on everything from astronomy and gardening to fashions and siege warfare. It offers a rare opportunity to savour what life was really like in a French military town on Cape Breton Island two centuries ago.