Description
The “Types Riot”—the 1826 destruction of William Lyon Mackenzie’s Colonial Advocate newspaper office is a well-known incident in 19th-century Canadian history. This “cracking good story” as one historian calls it, is for the first time recounted in detail—as a “whydunit” rather than a “whodunit” which seeks to discover what prompted a group of socially prominent men to carry out such an unlawful destructive and potentially violent act.
The Town of York (now the City of Toronto) in the 1820s was a hamlet of 300 families. Their dramas were originally recorded in private letters and public documents. Today these many plots and players—with courtroom clashes between lawyers, the private tragedies of the prominent families, accusations of government favouritism, the difficulties faced by the immigrants, the rivalry between competing newspapers, the attempts of an élite to exercise control—all seem very familiar.
This copy is signed by the author. The spine is faded but readable, and there is some very minor fading on the front cover. Excellent condition otherwise.
