For political buffs, this is a fascinating view of the politics of the Diefenbaker-Pearson-Trudeau era, including backroom information never before published. For media buffs, its an inside view of the politics of our leading newspapers, and a critical analysis of modern journalism by one who helped to invent it. For those concerned with the great public issues of our times, it's a controversial account of where constitutional reform went wrong and of how we got to free trade by a journalist who played a significant role in the national debate.

But this is more than the record of a professional life. It's also the personal story of a motherless boy growing up in Britain, his wartime experiences with the Royal Navy, and his decision to emigrate to Canada, with a young family in tow, after publisher Lord Beaverbrook declared the young scribe unfit for promotion because he was the wrong shape: "Small head, big feet, won't do."