author
John Charles Dent
1841–1888
A lively 19th-century Canadian journalist and historian, he wrote history with the pace of a story rather than a textbook. His books helped shape early popular writing about Canada’s political past and public figures.
4 Audiobooks
The Gerrard Street Mystery and Other Weird Tales
by John Charles Dent
The Story of the Upper Canadian Rebellion, Volume 1
by John Charles Dent
The Canadian Portrait Gallery - Volume 3 (of 4)
by John Charles Dent
Canadian Notabilities, Volume 1
by John Charles Dent
About the author
Born in England in 1841 and brought to Canada as a small child, John Charles Dent trained in law in Brantford and qualified as an attorney in 1865. He soon moved into journalism instead, working on newspapers in Canada and abroad before settling into a career as a freelance writer and historian.
Dent became known for making Canadian history readable and dramatic. His best-known works include The Last Forty Years: Canada Since the Union of 1841 and the illustrated Canadian Portrait Gallery, for which he wrote most of the biographical sketches. Sources also describe him as a journalist, author, and historian who helped bring political and historical subjects to a wider general audience.
He died in Toronto in 1888, only 46 years old. Even so, his writing left a clear mark on early Canadian historical literature, especially for readers interested in the people and events that shaped the country in the 19th century.