No Hay Fever and a Railway is a lavishly illustrated, story-laden book about summer life in one of Canada's poshest resort towns. Founded in 1784 by a group of United Empire Loyalists who floated their houses from the New England coast to Passamaquoddy Bay, St. Andrews became in the late 19th century and early 20th a summer haven for wealthy merchant princes from Boston, New York, Montreal, and other cities throughout North America. Drawing upon archival research and her own memories, Willa Walker presents a vivid, first-person account of summers in St. Andrews, with stories about the rich, sometimes famous, and quite often eccentric, people who visited the town and stayed to build some of the most elegant summer "cottages" in eastern Canada.

Willa Walker spent Summers in St. Andrews with her parents and grandmother, sharing in the leisured life she describes in Summers in St. Andrews. Born and educated in Montreal, she also studied in Paris, and later became private secretary to Lady Marlar, wife of the Canadian Ambassador in Washington. She served as a Wing Officer of the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II, with command of 17,000 women, and received the MBE in recognition of this service. In 1948, she moved to St. Andrews with her husband, novelist David Walker, where she raised her four sons, several of whom collaborated in updating this new edition. Mrs. Walker previously researched historic homes for the St. Andrews Civic Trust. She is the former chairman of the board of the Charlotte County Archives and has served on the board of the Charlotte County Museum.

Willa Walker's profile page