Widely considered the first Canadian novel, it has an epistolary form and is remarkable for its observations on the lives and traditions of Quebecers and First Nations, as well as on the manners of the upper British classes. This is a scholarly edition that brings to light new information about the times and the context of the novel. The 286 explanatory notes discuss not only issues long forgotten since the 18th century, but also places, people, and expressions that are familiar today only in some parts of the English-speaking world.