Methodist Book & Publishing Concern

"The Story of My Life": Being Reminiscences of Sixty Years' Public Service in Canada

Adolphus Egerton Ryerson (1803–1882) was a Methodist minister, educator, author, editor, and civil servant, born in in Charlotteville Township, Norfolk County, Upper Canada. His father, Joseph Ryerson, was an United Empire loyalist and officer in the American Revolution. Ryerson was educated in at the London District Grammar School in Vittoria, Ontario and the Gore District Grammar School in Hamilton, Ontario.

He entered the ministry of the the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1825. Four years later, he was appointed as the editor of a Methodist newspaper, Christian Guardian. Ryerson was also one of the founders of the Upper Canada Academy, located in Cobourg Ontario, and renamed Victoria College in 1841. In 1844, he assumed the office of the provincial Superintendent of Education.

"The Story of My Life", an autobiography left uncompleted after Ryerson's death, was edited by John George Hodgins (1821–1849), a civil servant and author, who attended Victoria College was Ryerson's tenure as the principal attracted his attention as one of the brightest students.

The book was published by William Briggs, the trade division of the Methodist Book and Publishing House. It originated when Ryerson purchased a printing press in 1829 to produce the Guardian. Briggs (1836–1922) served as the Book Steward between 1879 and 1919. In 1920, the publisher was renamed Ryerson Press and was among the most prestigious publishing enterprises in the country.

Ryerson, Egerton, 1803–1882

Canadiana

William Briggs

1883

Ontario—Politics and government
Ryerson, Egerton, 1803–1882

Ryerson, Egerton, 1803–1882
Hodgins, J. George (John George), 1821–1912.
Nelles, S. S. (Samuel Sobieski), 1823–1887, association
Potts, John, 1838–1907, association
Smith, Henry Wright, 1828–, engraver

Public domain

F1058 .R97 1883

James Evans: Inventor of the Syllabic System of the Cree Language

James Evans (1801–1845) was a Methodist minister, missionary, linguist, teacher, and translator. In 1840, he developed the Cree syllabic alphabet and form of writing in Rossville, Manitoba. Evans devised his own metal type and built a printing press to support his missionaries activities, involving teaching, translating and writing. Evans translated the New Testament, hymns, and other religious materials into Cree and Ojibway. 

Selected publications include Collection of Chippeway and English Hymns for the Use of the Native Indians (with Peter Jones and others), Cree Syllabic Hymn Book (Bibliographical Society of Canada, 1954), 1836 Mission Tour of Lake Huron (Manitoulin Historical Society, 1955). 

Victoria University Library holds the James Evans fonds, including the Cree syllabic type (acquired by his biographer, John Maclean in Norway House, Manitoba, in 1925), in addition to correspondence, printed syllabics and syllabic hymnbook, professional records, a diary of Evans’s missionary expeditions, a sketchbook containing pencil sketches and poems, photographs, and other material.

Maclean, John, 1851–1928

Canadiana

Methodist Mission Rooms

1890

Missions—Canada
Evans, James, 1801–1846

Public domain

BV2813 .E8 M3 1890

Centennial of Canadian Methodism

The Methodist Church exerted considerable influence not only in religious matters, but also shaped the development of Canadian education, literature, poetry, history and culture.

As Reformists, Canadian Methodists professed that liberal education had both social and spiritual value and thus it should be open to all individuals, regardless of one’s social standing, religion, and political affiliation.

They were critical of both secular and religious intervention in the provision of education.

The founding principles were enshrined in the curriculum of the Upper Canada Academy (and its successor, Victoria College), which dictated that the school should be a literary institution, "with a religious character yet not sectarian, liberals in its views yet not radical, maintaining the highest academic standards yet not exclusively confined to any type of education."

Canadiana

William Briggs

1891

Methodist Church—Canada—History
Methodism—Canada—History

Public domain

BX8251 .C43

Egerton Ryerson

Nathanael Burwash (1839–1918) was born in St. Andrews, Quebec, in 1839 and entered Victoria College, Cobourg as a preparatory student in 1852, graduating in 1859. He was ordained in 1864 and continued his education at Yale (Science) and Garrett Biblical Institute of Evanston, Illinois (Theology) and received a Master of Arts from Victoria in 1866.

Burwash began his teaching career at Victoria, lecturing in the natural sciences and in 1871 began teaching theology as well as science courses. Two years later he was appointed Dean of the new Faculty of Theology and in 1877 helped set up the Theological Union of Victoria, an organization designed as a postgraduate extension of theological study. In 1887, Burwash was named Chancellor and President, holding these positions until 1913, and continued to teach doctrinal history until his death in 1918.

In addition to his biography of Ryerson, Burwash also contributed The Work and Wants of the Provincial University (Blacket Robinson, 1896), The Evolution and Degeneration of Party: A Study in Political History (Copp, Clark, 1903), The History of Victoria College (Victoria College Press, 1927) and wrote the first three chapters of The University of Toronto and Its Colleges, 1827–1906 (University of Toronto Library).

Egerton Ryerson is a biography. Ryerson was a Methodist minister, author, editor, and educational administrator and one of the founders of the Upper Canada Academy (renamed in 1841 as Victoria College, originally located in Cobourg, Ontario). The book was published as part of a series, Makers of Canada. 

Burwash, N. (Nathanael), 1839–1918

Canadiana

Morang & Company Limited

1909

Ryerson, Egerton, 1803–1882

Reynar, A. H. (Alfred Henry), 1840–1921

Public domain

F1058 .R97 B8 1909

Sowing Seeds in Danny

Nellie Letitia McClung (1873–1951) was an author, teacher social reformer, politician, and suffragist. She earned a teaching certificate and worked until her marriage to a pharmacist, settling in Manitou, Manitoba. 

The move marked the beginning of her activism and she became involved in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. According to historian Charlotte Gray, McClung's acquaintance with the women in her town and their plight inspired her political involvement. 

As a prohibitionist and suffragist, she was a prominent lecturer and public speaker. Along with Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise Crummy McKinney and Irene Parlby (or the "Famous 5"), McClung petitioned the Supreme Court in an attempt to have women declared as “qualified persons,” eligible for public office as senators. 

McClung's first novel, Sowing Seeds in Danny (William Briggs, 1910), a humourous depiction of a small prairie town, was a bestseller in Canada and the United States. Her other publications include The Second Chance (William Briggs, 1910), Painted Fires (Thomas Allen, 1925), Leaves from Lantern Lane (Thomas Allen, 1936) and many other titles, in addition to magazine articles and short stories. She also contributed two autobiographies, Clearing in the West: My Own Story (Thomas Allen, 1935) and The Stream Runs Fast: My Own Story (Thomas Allen, 1945).

McClung, Nellie L., 1873–1951

Canadiana

William Briggs

1908

Public domain

PR9199.3 .M3332 S6 1908a

James Evans

James Evans (1801–1845) was a Methodist minister, missionary, linguist, teacher, and translator. In 1840, he developed the Cree syllabic alphabet and form of writing in Rossville (currently located in Manitoba, the settlement was located in the Hudson Bay's Company territories).

Evans devised his own movable type and founded Rossvile Mission Press to support his missionaries activities, involving teaching, translating and writing.

"Jesus My All to Heaven is Gone" and "Behold the Saviour of Mankind" were among the hymns published by Evans.

Lorne Pierce (1890–1961) was among the most influential book editors and literary critics in twentieth-century Canada. He served as the Literary Editor at Ryerson Press, a publishing house of the Methodist Church. The booklet was published as part of Ryerson Canadian History Readers. The series first appeared in 1925 and included titles on Canadian history, published for Canadian schools. Pierce recruited prominent artist, C.W. Jefferys (1869–1951), to illustrate the books. The illustrations Jefferys produced contributed to the success and popularity of the series. Pierce was an ardent patriot devoted to the promotion of Canadian literature, poetry, and history through publishing.

Pierce, Lorne, 1890–1961

Canadiana Pamphlets

Ryerson Press

1926

Missionaries—Canada—Biography
Printers—Biography
Printers—Canada
Evans, James, 1801-1846—Biography

Jefferys, Charles W. (Charles William), 1869–1951

BV2813 .E8 P5

Marjorie Pickthall: A Book of Remembrance

Marjorie Lowry Christie Pickthall (1883–1922) was a librarian, a writer and a poet. She was born in Gunnersby, Middlesex, England. She sold her first story, “Two-Ears.” to the Globe (a Toronto newspaper) while still a student at Bishop Strachan School.

Pickthall was appointed as an assistant librarian at Victoria University Library, Toronto, from 1910 to 1912 and her writing was published in several periodicals during that time, including Acta Victoriana, a student literary journal at Victoria College. Pickthall published over two hundred short stories and approximately one hundred poems along with numerous articles in journals such as Atlantic Monthly, Harper’s, and Scribner’s.

Selected publications include: The Drift of Pinions (John Lane Company, 1913), Lamp of Poor Souls and Other Poems (S.B. Gundy, 1916), Little Hearts (Methuen, 1916), The Bridge: A Story of the Great Lakes (Hodder and Stoughton Limited, 1922), The Woodcarver’s Wife and Other Poems (McClelland and Stewart Company Limited, 1922), and The Complete Poems of Marjorie Pickthall (McClelland and Stewart Company Limited, 1927), posthumously published.

Victoria University Library holds the Marjorie Pickthall fonds, consisting of records pertaining to her activities as a poet, writer, and librarian. The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts (poems, short stories and articles), personal materials and photographs, and artistic material by Pickthall including paintings and drawings. 

Lorne Albert Pierce (1890–1961) was among the most influential book editors and literary critics in twentieth-century Canada. Between 1922 and 1960, he served as the Literary Editor at Ryerson Press, a publishing house of the Methodist Church. Pierce was an ardent patriot devoted to the promotion of Canadian literature, poetry, and history through publishing. Pickthall, William Kirby, Earle Birney, and E.J. Pratt were among the prominet poets and authors published by Ryerson Press under Pierce's editorship.

Pierce established the Makers of Canadian Literature series, the Ryerson Books of Prose and Verse, the Canadian History Readers, the Canadian Art series, and the Ryerson Poetry Chapbooks. He also created the Lorne Pierce Medal (awarded by the Royal Society of Canada) and the Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana.

Marjorie Pickthall documents the poet's professional and personal life, including her contributions to the war effort, and concludes with a complete bibliography of her works. The book is illustrated with decorations by Frederick Horsman Varley (1881–1969), a painter and a member of the Group of Seven. 

Pierce, Lorne, 1890–1961

Canadiana

Ryerson Press

1925

Women authors, Canadian—20th century—Biography

Varley, Frederick Horsman, 1881–1969, artist

Public domain

PR6031 .I3 Z86

Our Canadian Literature: Representative Verse, English and French

William Bliss Carman (1861–1929) was an editor, essayist and poet. Carman was employed on the editorial staffs of various literary publications in New York, Chicago and Boston, including The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, Current Literature, The Chapbook, The Independent, Literary World, and The Outlook.

Some of Carman’s major publications include poetry collections: Low Tide on Grand Pré: A Book of Lyrics (Charles L. Webster and Company Publishers, 1893), Songs from Vagabondia (Elkin Mathews and John Lane, 1894–1900), The Pipes of Pan (L.C. Page and Company, 1902–1905), Collected Poems: In Two Volumes (L.C. Page and Company, 1904), Sappho: One Hundred Lyrics (L.C. Page and Company, 1904), Echoes from Vagabondia (Small, Maynard and Company, 1912). Essays and other works of non-fiction: The Kinship of Nature (L.C. Page and Company, 1903) and The Making of Personality (L.C. Page and Company, 1908).

Lorne Albert Pierce (1890–1961) was among the most influential book editors and literary critics in twentieth-century Canada. Between 1922 and 1960, he served as the Literary Editor at Ryerson Press, a publishing house of the Methodist Church. Pierce was an ardent patriot devoted to the promotion of Canadian literature, poetry, and history through publishing.

William Kirby, Marjorie Pickthall, Earle Birney, and E.J. Pratt were among the prominet poets and authors published by Ryerson Press under Pierce's editorship. Pierce established the Makers of Canadian Literature series, the Ryerson Books of Prose and Verse, the Canadian History Readers, the Canadian Art series, and the Ryerson Poetry Chapbooks. He also created the Lorne Pierce Medal (awarded by the Royal Society of Canada) and the Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana.

Our Canadian Literature originally published in 1922, was the first Canadian anthology to include both prose and poetry: Bliss Carman, William Wilfred Campbell, Isabella Valancy Crawford, Archibald Lampman, Theodore Rand, D. C. Scott, Charles G. D. Roberts, Joseph Howe, William Kirby, Susanna Moodie, John Richardson, Catharine Parr Traill, Lord Dufferin, Goldwin Smith, Nellie McClung, and Stephen Leacock. 

Carman, Bliss, 1861–1929
Pierce, Lorne, 1890–1961

Canadiana

Ryerson Press

1935

Canadian poetry
French-Canadian poetry

PR9194.4 .O8 1935

An Editor's Creed

An Editor's Creed was a lecture delivered before the Book Publisher's Association of Toronto at a luncheon on January 27, 1960, celebrating their Golden Jubilee It was given at the Bailey Memorial Lecture, The Head-of-the-Lake Historical Society, Hamilton October 14, 1960.

Lorne Albert Pierce (1890–1961) was among the most influential book editors and literary critics in twentieth-century Canada. Between 1922 and 1960, he served as the Literary Editor at Ryerson Press, a publishing house of the Methodist Church. Pierce was an ardent patriot devoted to the promotion of Canadian literature, poetry, and history through publishing.

William Kirby, Marjorie Pickthall, Earle Birney, and E.J. Pratt were among the prominet poets and authors published by Ryerson Press under Pierce's editorship. 

Pierce established the Makers of Canadian Literature series, the Ryerson Books of Prose and Verse, the Canadian History Readers, the Canadian Art series, and the Ryerson Poetry Chapbooks. He also created the Lorne Pierce Medal (awarded by the Royal Society of Canada) and the Edith and Lorne Pierce Collection of Canadiana. 

The book is the author's inscribed presentation copy to William Arthur Deacon (1890–1977, a literary critic and editor), with a Christmas greeting card from Ryerson Press and signed by John Webster Grant.

Pierce, Lorne, 1890–1961

Canadiana

Ryerson Press

1960

Publishers and publishing—Canada
Ryerson Press
United Church Publishing House

Z483 .P5