I have a collection of books about Tom Thomson. Thomson’s art and speculation about his death have evolved until his story is part of the Canadian myth. Many people read about Thomson because of the mystery and the art but I read about him because we have a common ancestry so reading books about Thomson is actually family history research for me. For family historians it is great to find an ancestor who was written about but, in the case of Thomson, so much has been written that it is hard to separate fact from fiction.

Tom Thomson: Design for a Canadian Hero is a biography. It is well laid out and follows Thomson’s story in a linear progression from his early years, to his growth as an artist, to his death and the actions of others that created the Thomson story that lives on as part of the Canadian story. It is a book about an artist so, of course, there are photos of art – colour plates and black and white photos to illustrate the points of the story. A very tasteful book.