Patrician Liberal: The Public and Private Life of Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, 1829-1908

‘The book is social history of highest order, written by one of our best practitioners in the field.’ Michael Cross, Canadian Historical Review, vol 95:02:2014

“Patrician Liberal is an excellent biography and an enjoyable read. J.I. Little not only tells a great story in this book, but also uses it to discuss larger issues about Canadian and Quebec society, politics, and culture. Very well researched and nicely contextualized, Patrician Liberal will be an important book that contributes to significant historiographical debates.”

Michel Ducharme, Department of History, University of British Columbia

“Patrician Liberal is a groundbreaking biography of a fascinating individual, Sir Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière, who broke many of the stereotypes of his time. In this very significant contribution to research, J.I Little weaves together the various facets of Joly de Lotbinière’s life and career – no easy undertaking given the breadth of his fields of endeavour. His life is also well-integrated within the social, intellectual, economic, and political framework of this era, allowing him to emerge as a very real, empathetic person.”

Ken Munro, Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta