'Read this erudite book and you will never again be bested in of those endless canoe-trip conversations about canoes ... In the final analysis, canoeing is a very personal, emotive matter. Most of the current crop of trippers are harried, urbanized survivors. The canoe provides unique access to another, more real world. Benidickson's gentle, generous book manages well to capture this elusive process.' -- Dunnery Best The Globe and Mail 'Benidickson unloads some of the weight of so much information and data with dry, straight-faced humor, and organizes an immense archive into enjoyable prose.' -- Jon Chaplin The Toronto Star 'Even a determined non-canoer can enjoy this book. It's interesting, and surprising, and beautifully written, so even if your idea of roughing it is having to get up to change the TV channel all by yourself without a remote control, you can still enjoy this book thoroughly ... This is a love story, and, thankfully, Benidickson is articulate in telling his passion for the canoe. His love for this wonderfully versatile craft shines on every page, and is guaranteed to enthrall any reader.' -- Linda Turk The Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal 'Whether you are a seasoned veteran, avid canoeist or beginner, Idleness, Water, and a Canoe is a rich resource which offers more than one explanation as to why, when idleness is at a premium, so many of us need to hear the song of the paddle.' -- Harry Rintoul Winnipeg Free Press
