This is a history of domestic space in Canada. Peter Ward looks at how spaces in the Canadian home have changed over the last three centuries, and how family and social relationships have shaped – and been shaped by – these changing spaces. A fundamental element of daily life for individuals and families is domestic privacy, that of individuals and that of the family or household.

Peter Ward is professor emeritus of history at the University of British Columbia and the author of several books on the social history of Canada and the history of population health.

Peter Ward's profile page

• Winner, Alcuin Citation for excellence in book design in Canada, Alcuin Society

... readers will enjoy this humanized view of Canadian architecture. Ward’s book is a welcome complement to the recently published Homeplace by Peter Ennals and Deryck Holdsworth.

CBRA 2239

... packed with wonderful historic details about real Canadian homes and families ... both of these books provide fascinating nuggets of information ... about topics that have been obscured by our myth-making American neighbour. And they bring to life the unique texture of daily Canadian life that was buried in our mothers’, fathers’, and grandparents’ journals, letters, pictures and stories.

The Vancouver Sun

Throughout, in direct, simple prose, Ward offers stimulating observations on and excellent documentation of the domestic landscape. The photographs and other illustrations are, likewise, highly informative ... highly recommended for all architecture, interior design, and material culture collections.

Library Journal