author
J. E. (Joseph Edmund) Collins
1855–1892
A lively 19th-century Canadian journalist and author, he wrote quickly and ambitiously about politics, rebellion, and public figures in a way meant to reach a broad audience. His books capture the energy of a young country trying to define itself.
3 Audiobooks
Annette, the Metis Spy: A Heroine of the N.W. Rebellion
by J. E. (Joseph Edmund) Collins
The Four Canadian Highwaymen; Or, The Robbers of Markham Swamp
by J. E. (Joseph Edmund) Collins
The Story of Louis Riel: The Rebel Chief
by J. E. (Joseph Edmund) Collins
About the author
Born in Placentia, Newfoundland, in 1855, Joseph Edmund Collins worked as a teacher, publisher, journalist, and author. He built a reputation in Canadian journalism while still young and became known for energetic, popular writing rather than quiet academic history.
Collins wrote on politics and current events as well as biography and historical subjects. His books include works on Louis Riel, Sir John A. Macdonald, and the North-West Rebellion, showing how closely his writing followed the major debates and personalities of late 19th-century Canada.
He died in New York City in 1892, only in his thirties. Even with that short life, he left behind a body of work that offers a vivid glimpse of Canadian public life in his era.