author
John Price-Brown
1844–1938
A Canadian doctor turned historical novelist, he brought the country’s early conflicts and frontier life to the page with a storyteller’s eye. His books blend adventure, romance, and a strong sense of place in nineteenth-century Canada.
1 Audiobook
In the Van; or, The Builders
by John Price-Brown
About the author
Born in Manchester, England, in 1844, he emigrated to Upper Canada with his family as a boy and later studied medicine at the University of Toronto. He became a specialist in diseases of the nose and throat and was also remembered as a founder and governor of Toronto Western Hospital.
Alongside his medical career, he wrote both professional and imaginative works. His first book was the medical text Diseases of the Nose and Throat (1900), and he went on to publish historical fiction including In the Van; or, The Builders, The Mac's of '37, and Laura the Undaunted. Some work also appeared under the pseudonym "Eric Bohn."
After losing his sight around 1918, he continued writing, turning especially to historical novels set in Canada’s past. He died in 1938, leaving behind a body of work shaped by both professional discipline and a lasting interest in Canadian history.