True North [Paperback]

Elliot Merrick (Author), Lawrence Millman (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2005

In 1929, at the age of 24, Elliott Merrick left his position as an advertising executive in New Jersey and headed up to Labrador to work as an unpaid volunteer for the Grenfell Mission. In 1933 he wrote True North about his experiences in the northern wilderness, living and working with trappers, Indians and with the nurse he met and married in a remote community. The book describes the hard work and severe conditions, along with the joy and friendship he and his wife experienced.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Refusing "to labor in the frenzied city . . . at a task patently not worth the doing," the author moved during the late 1920s to Labrador. Most of this book comprises the journal of a winter hunting trip taken with experienced guides as well as with Merrick's wife, for whom the allure of the North is equally powerful. Endurance is a point of pride for them; despite constant cold and hunger, despite mishaps (Merrick accidentally shot himself in the thigh, then nearly chopped off his toe with an ax), the Merricks adore this land of frosts and wastes so stark that a discarded matchstick "looms as big as a house." Replete with local history and amusing yarns, the journal also includes such arcana as the best ways to wash underwear in the frozen North and how to construct sunglasses to prevent snow blindness. This reissue of a 1935 work is a fascinating, at times magical, chronicle of husbands and wives who, due to long separations and the extreme hardships under which they toil, regard each other as heroes and heroines.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A tale of real hardship, of a running fight against the forces of nature, of the joys of wild life; rich in anecdote, humorous, dramatic, vigorous, and direct.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating, at times magical, chronicle.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Merrick's writing is full of detail on how to survive in the grueling cold of a Canadian winter. The book is more ‘Walden’ than wild, as the author is often contemplative, reveling in the joy of being out of the city and plunged into nature.”
—The Record-Courier

“True North is a wonderful memoir, recounting the author's travels in the wild and wonderful Canadian wilderness. I was riveted throughout the book. Whether the author was, quite seriously, discussing methods of underwear washing (hilarious) or describing the instances when everyone wanted to break camp but wouldn't admit to it, you are kept thoroughly entertained.… I thoroughly enjoyed this book, filled with beautiful narrative.”
—The Book Buff

“[True North] is the kind of book one will pick up like a Bible or a book of poetry, to re-envision the moment. Merrick expands the small details of the journey into a metaphor for living life. Like Thoreau, he urges us to live a simpler life, a life of appreciation… When 'the world is too much with [you],' as Wordsworth said, True North will take you to a place of great beauty and simplicity.”
—Read, Write, Laugh, Rewrite with Eileen Granfors

“This book should be considered a classic in nonfiction, especially among Thoreau and Emerson inspired nonfiction.”
—Wilson Knut's Witticisms



From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: Heron Dance Press (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933937009
• ISBN-13: 978-1933937007
• ASIN: 0975564994
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tale..., March 19, 2007

By 

Walter C. Skrzypek "Magua" (Falls Creek, Pa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: True North (Paperback)

I read some of the previous reviews before getting this and some were positive and some negative...I have to say I was very much pleased with the book, excellent story and tale with local dialogue to add an element of adventure and flair. I just really enjoyed the story and to see the hardships people faced...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If only I had lived then, August 28, 2006

By 

Teresa C. Trudeau "terry trudeau" (philadelphia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: True North (Paperback)

This book will transcend you to a time and place that makes you feel at peace with nature. Merrick's writing is like poetry in motion. You will wish you could have been there to experience the times when he is at one with the universe. The people and places he is writing about no longer exist, which is the greatest pity of all.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read for lovers of the Canadian North, July 22, 2006

By 

charlie cowling (brockport, ny United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: True North (Paperback)

A fascinating book! A well written account by a man who traveled extensively in the Canadian North in the 1930s, just as the traditional remoteness that had characterized that world was ending with the introduction of planes and other technologies. Merrick was a keen and sympathetic friend of the North, its history and its Native peoples.