Best known as the author of the satiric utopian novel A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, James De Mille wrote many other works of fiction and poetry. Patricia Monk's biographical critical study investigates De Mille's personal, educational, religious, social, and professional background in meticulous detail. Providing a comprehensive review of De Mille's developing career and shedding new light on the literary world of 19th-century Canada, it is a valuable contribution to the growing list of biographies of Canadian writers.