Canadian writers have a long tradition of producing excellent historical biographies...
One need only think of Donald Creighton's monumental biography of John A. Macdonald or Roger Graham's three-volume study of Arthur Meighen...
This tradition is continued by Ottawa writer Valerie Knowles in her account of the life of 19-century railway magnate William C. Van Horne... From Telegrapher To Titan is more than a biography; it is a first-rate work of business history, covering in detail the development of railways in 19th-century North America.
-Graeme Voyer, The Winnipeg Free Press
-Graeme Voyer, The Winnipeg Free Press
The spring, Valerie Knowles published a book she suspects will amount to little more than a labour of love. If that does indeed prove to be the case with her biography of William C. Van Horne, rest assured that she will not regret "even a moment" of the 12 years "on and off" she devoted to researching and writing From Telegrapher To Titan...
What follows is some 500 captivating pages that tell the story of a truly fascinating individual --- and to the author's credit, it is conveyed through a narrative that conquers the considerable challenges posed by such a complicated and in many ways controversial man.
- Nick Millokas, The Regina Leader Post
What follows is some 500 captivating pages that tell the story of a truly fascinating individual --- and to the author's credit, it is conveyed through a narrative that conquers the considerable challenges posed by such a complicated and in many ways controversial man.
- Nick Millokas, The Regina Leader Post
From Telegrapher to Titan:
The Life of William C. Van Horne
The Life of William C. Van Horne
A historical biography should contain certain elements: It should provide historical context; it should embrace the subject's life in a way that provides
well-rounded and well-researched information; and it should provoke curiosity! Valerie Knowles' portrayal of William C. Van Horne in From Telegrapher to Titan does all of these, and, in addition, because of Knowles' narrative genius, it will be heralded as the definitive biography of one of Canada's most complex and controversial figures.
- Canadian Rail
- Canadian Rail
Valerie Knowles's From Telegrapher to Titan is a well-researched and intelligently written biography about the man primarily responsible for tying Canada together with a ribbon of steel. It is an important book. But it is also hugely entertaining, providing a wealth of detail about the transplanted American who grew to love Canada. Who knew that the tough railway man stood up to Jesse James, corresponded with Rudyard Kipling, and collected oriental porcelain as a hobby?
- Jury Statement, Ottawa Book Award 2005
- Jury Statement, Ottawa Book Award 2005
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