The Public Archives of Canada mirrors Canada's past, it is a collective national memory, the base of the country's cultural heritage.This volume provides a unique guide to the unusually wide range of items held in the Archives: documents old and new, sketches and diaries, films, recordings, photographs, private letters and government files, maps, plans, treaties, books and paintings -- the stuff of history.The 306 items included in this volume were drawn together as an exhibition to celebrate the centennial of the founding of the Archives.They are organized around thirty-seven themes: each item is fully described and an explanatory note is added where necessary.The 134 photographs, most of them full-page, bring vividly to life the political and cultural heritage of Canada.For all Canadians, and especially for students of Canadian history, this is a valuable source book -- to dip into at lesiure, or as a guide to research resources.