author
Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone) Burpee
1873–1946
A Canadian librarian, historian, and writer, he spent decades helping readers discover the country’s past. His work ranged from essays and reference books to studies of exploration and the Canadian West.
4 Audiobooks
Pathfinders of the Great Plains: A Chronicle of La Vérendrye and his Sons
by Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone) Burpee
Humour of the North
by Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone) Burpee
By Canadian Streams
by Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone) Burpee
Among the Canadian Alps
by Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone) Burpee
About the author
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on March 5, 1873, Lawrence Johnstone Burpee built a career that moved easily between public service, libraries, and historical writing. He worked in the Canadian civil service as private secretary to three federal ministers of justice before becoming chief librarian of the Ottawa Public Library.
Burpee became known as a lively champion of Canadian history and literature. He wrote and edited books on exploration, geography, and national history, and he was especially interested in the story of western Canada and the people who mapped and documented it. He was also active in literary and scholarly circles, and was recognized as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
His legacy is tied not just to the books he wrote, but to the broader idea that Canada’s history should be collected, preserved, and made accessible to readers. He died in Oxford, England, on October 13, 1946.