Bark Canoes - by John Jennings (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"This handsomely illustrated work presents a clear and succinct review of the talented, driven, and irascible [Adney]... Recommended."
-- Choice

The bark canoe was the method of water travel for centuries, by native people in North America. The canoe made possible hunting, trade, and communication between native groups.

Edwin Tappan Adney singlehandedly preserved the fading history of Indigenous bark canoe construction in North America.

He built 110 historically accurate canoe models, many based on canoes that were the last remaining example of their type. Adney calculated that his canoe models consumed over 20,000 hours of detailed drawing, research and building.

Bark Canoes profiles Adney's life and life's work. Born in the United States in 1868, he lived much of his adult life in Canada. His last years were spent almost penniless in a small bungalow in New Brunswick.

Canoe research and model building were only one of the passions that drove this extraordinary man. Respected by scholars for his work with canoes, ethnography and Native languages, he struggled against enormous odds to create and preserve his models and papers.

Now owned by the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, 110 of his beloved canoe models have been photographed and are presented here in splendid color. This book is a great resource for anyone interested in the history of Indigenous people -- and how they lived -- in North America.

The Mariners' Museum holds the largest international collection of maritime artifacts in North America, including ship models, paintings and hundreds of thousands of vintage photographs.

Review Quotes

[Review of hardcover edition] A glorious illustrated study of [Tappan Adney's] model canoes... beautifully balanced... a remarkable man and the equally remarkable legacy he has left us.--Linda Turk "Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal" (5/23/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] A must have cottage book.--Liz Grogan "Good Times" (8/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] A photographic gallery of the extraordinary work of a remarkable man... Adney became obsessed with accurately recording every aspect of North American canoe building.--Diana Mumford "Wave Length Magazine" (12/1/2005 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] A significant aspect of North American heritage... features artistically crafted photographs of Adney's intricate scale models of canoes.-- "Canadian Geographic" (7/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] An essential addition to [Chapelle's The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America]... You have to have this one as well if you have any interest in canoe history.-- "Canoeist" (12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] Chronicles the fascinating story of Adney's life, presents for the first time incredible photographs of his canoe models, and explains the cultural and historical significance of this craft.-- "Appalachian Quarterly" (1/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] Flawless photos of the entire Adney collection... handsome and instructive... Bark Canoes, with Pemberton's lovely photographs, is the perfect complement to Adney's and Chapelle's earlier masterpiece.--Jerry Stelmok "WoodenBoat" (9/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] Incredible photographs... a great service to historians and the paddling community... beautiful and informative book.-- "Wilderness Journal" (6/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] Not only of interest to maritime enthusiasts but also those interested in Native Peoples, history, art and crafts.--Kay Plesca "E-Streams" (11/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] Remarkable book documenting Adney's work... featuring detailed photographs.--Ted Behne "Canoe and Kayak Magazine" (10/15/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] The images show an impressive variation on the genre... spare layout, carefully angled and focused pictures and detailed provenances mark each entry.-- "Publishers Weekly Annex" (5/17/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] The pictures are almost surreal in their minimalist presentation and razor sharp quality. I could literally count each tiny gunwale lashing and felt like I could pluck the canoe off the page and put it in water!--Becky Mason "Canadian Camera" (9/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] This handsomely illustrated work presents a clear and succinct review of the talented, driven, and irascible [Adney]... Recommended.--P.D. Thomas "Choice" (12/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

[Review of hardcover edition] Wonderful book... a marvelous and important job by making Adney's creations available to us in this beautifully produced book that is a feast for the mind and the eye... a most useful basis for further study.--Toni Harting "Nastawgan (Quarterly of Wilderness Canoe Association)" (6/1/2004 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Author John Jennings compiled the critically-acclaimed The Canoe: A Living Tradition republished by Firefly Books in 2025. Professor Jennings specializes in the frontier history of the Canadian and American West.