Howard O’Hagan was born and raised in the Canadian Rockies. He received a Law Degree from McGill University, articled, was called to the bar, and then practised law for one day. Deciding that the world of formal law was not for him, he returned to the Rockies to become probably the most interesting mountain guide ever known. He was a writer for a series of gentlemen’s magazines, including Esquire, in the 1940s and ‘50s. He was hired by the British Railway as a publicist for the railway they were building through the area O’Hagan called the Argentine. After its completion, he settled down to a career of writing. Howard O’Hagan is one of the classic figures of Canadian Literature. He is best known for his novel Tay John. The School-Marm Tree (1977) and Trees Are Lonely Company (1993) are available from Talonbooks.