John Clarke is a Distinguished Research Professor at Carleton University and a recent recipient of the Canadian Association of Geographers' award for service to Ontario geography.

"Clarke's holistic approach in terms of comprehensive recording of land dealings for the sixty-five-year period, as well as his biographical and chronological evidence, represent a new methodology. His theoretical focus on the career acquisitiveness of the elite, coupled with the detailed land transactions for the county as a whole, is unmatched in thoroughness." Alan G. Brunger, Department of Geography, Trent University "A significant contribution to the field of historical geography. This is a synthetic study that brings together interrelated questions on land, economy, society, and power. While these themes have been addressed in many works, few have attempted to bring them together in the context of early Ontario and investigate their relationships at such a detailed level. The great strength of this book is that it synthesizes the important work the author has carried out during the course of his career in a manner that is more integrative than encyclopaedic." Randy Widdis, author of With Scarcely a Ripple: Anglo-Canadian Migration into the United States and Western Canada, 1880-1920 "Clarke's holistic approach in terms of comprehensive recording of land dealings for the sixty-five-year period, as well as his biographical and chronological evidence, represent a new methodology. His theoretical focus on the career acquisitiveness of the elite, coupled with the detailed land transactions for the county as a whole, is unmatched in thoroughness." Alan G. Brunger, Department of Geography, Trent University "A significant contribution to the field of historical geography. This is a synthetic study that brings together interrelated questions on land, economy, society, and power. While these themes have been addressed in many works, few have attempted to bring them together in the context of early Ontario and investigate their relationships at such a detailed level. The great strength of this book is that it synthesizes the important work the author has carried out during the course of his career in a manner that is more integrative than encyclopaedic." Randy Widdis, author of With Scarcely a Ripple: Anglo-Canadian Migration into the United States and Western Canada, 1880-1920