James H. Marsh

Education

James H. Marsh attended Davenport Road School, Perth Avenue Public School, and Oakwood Collegiate Institute in Toronto. While he did not enjoy school, he loved reading. Marsh attended classes at Waterloo Lutheran (Wilfrid Laurier) University and York University and, years later, completed courses at Carleton University to earn a degree in history and art history.

Editing Career

In 1966, James H. Marsh became a junior editor with Holt, Rinehart & Winston. His first assignment was to assist with proofreading the galleys of a new dictionary. He was soon involved with every aspect of the publishing business, including typesetting and printing (see Publishing and Printing; Print Industry). He edited the French and English versions of Canada: Unity in Diversity (1967) and presented copies of the book to Ontario premier John Robarts at the 1967 First Ministers Conference. Marsh went on to edit many more books that addressed a range of subjects.

In 1967, Marsh moved to the publishing house Collier-Macmillan. He initiated a multi-volume series addressing themes in Canadian history written by graduate students and two books that he authored himself.

In 1970, publishers Anna Porter and Jack McClelland of the publishing company McClelland & Stewart (M&S) asked Marsh to become the executive editor of the Carleton Library Series; books that addressed a host of Canadian historical and social issues. In this role, Marsh would be co-employed by M&S and the Institute of Canadian Studies at Carleton University, which for several years had been publishing the Carleton Library Series. From 1970 to 1980, Marsh chose new projects, found suitable authors, edited manuscripts and shepherded about 10 books a year through the publication process.

The Canadian Encyclopedia

Mel Hurtig was an Edmonton bookseller, author, publisher and staunch Canadian nationalist (see Nationalism). In 1979, Hurtig approached Alberta premier Peter Lougheed, who pledged over $4 million to have him create a Canadian encyclopedia and to have a free copy donated to every public library and school library in Canada. Hurtig chose James H. Marsh to become the new encyclopedia’s editor-in-chief.

From offices in Edmonton’s University of Alberta, Marsh appointed and worked with an advisory board, senior and associate editors, proofreaders and fact checkers. He developed lists of entries to be written. Marsh insisted that the encyclopedia reflect Canada’s depth and diversity and include entries on a broad range of people, events and ideas. Over 3,000 writers from every part of the country were contracted to write entries.

On 6 September 1985, a launch party was held in Edmonton with Hurtig, Lougheed and Marsh offering remarks. Nearly all reviews were glowing.

As editor-in-chief, Marsh also oversaw the sharing of files to have the Encyclopedia translated into French. L’Encyclopédie du Canada was published in April 1987. He also led the creation of The Canadian Encyclopedia’s second edition, a four-volume set.

Despite the success of The Canadian Encyclopedia, in 1991 Hurtig Publishing was on the verge of bankruptcy and was purchased by McClelland & Stewart. Marsh was retained as the Encyclopedia’s editor-in-chief. In 1995, he led the transition of the Encyclopedia from print to the new CD-ROM format (see Multimedia Communications). A year later, he oversaw the publication of the Junior Encyclopedia of Canada in print format.

Ownership of The Canadian Encyclopedia was eventually transferred to the Historica Foundation (now Historica Canada) in 2000. Similarly, the Historica Foundation took over the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada (EMC). Marsh retained his position with the Encyclopedia while also acting as Historica Canada’s director of content development. Under Marsh’s guidance, The Canadian Encyclopedia’s online version was launched in October 2001 (see Internet in Canada). He also oversaw the creation of several websites including Champlain in Acadia, Canadian Black History Portal, and Asia Canada.

When the Historica Foundation took over the EMC, Marsh was also assigned the role of editor-in-chief. Articles from the EMC were incorporated into the now online version of The Canadian Encyclopedia in 2003.

Select Publications

In addition to his work as an editor, James H. Marsh wrote and published several books. Marsh’s first book was The Fishermen of Lunenburg: A Sample Study of a Fishing Community (1968). Other titles include The Fur Trade (1971), The Discoveries (1972). Under the name Marshall Jamieson he published Beginnings: From the First Nations to the Great Migration (1996) and Alberta: A Story of the Province and Its People (1993). He was especially proud of the two-volume New Beginnings: A Social History of Canada (1981), written with Daniel Francis.

The books Marsh wrote and edited celebrated Canadian diversity and uniqueness. His work contributed to the growing popularity of Canadian literature and history. (See also Literature in English; French Language Literature; Canadian Studies.)

Retirement

James H. Marsh retired in March 2013 but remained The Canadian Encyclopedia’s editor emeritus. Marsh’s memoirs, Know It All: Finding the Impossible Country, was published in 2022.

Honours and Awards

James H. Marsh was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1988. During his investiture it was stated that, “his fervent love of Canada and his expertise on our history will give another generation the opportunity to know more about ourselves and our society, past and present.” In addition to this honour, Marsh has received the following awards:

• Centenary Medal, Royal Society of Canada (1986)
• Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002)
• Fellow, Royal Canadian Geographical Society (2011)
• Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012)
• Grant MacEwan Medal of Excellence, MacEwan University (2016)