SOURCE: An introduction to The Canadian Brothers; or, The Prophecy Fulfilled. A Tale of the Late American War, by John Richardson, edited by Donald Stephens, Carleton University Press, 1992, pp. xvii-lxxxii.

In the following excerpt, Stephens surveys Richardson's career and discusses the themes, sources, and publication history of The Canadian Brothers.

Early in 1840 the publishing firm of A. H. Armour and H. Ramsay of Montreal issued The Canadian Brothers; Or, The Prophecy Fulfilled. A Tale Of The Late American War. Printed by John Lovell of Montreal, this two-volume novel was the work of John Richardson (1796-1852), or, as he was described on the titlepage, "Major Richardson, Knight Of The Military Order Of Saint Ferdinand, Author Of Ecarté, Wacousta, &c. &c." With its title deliberately echoing that of Wacousta; Or, The Prophecy: A Tale of the Canadas, The Canadian Brothers was, in fact, a sequel to this three-volume novel that...