History from the Inside: Prolegomenon to the "Memoir of Harold Adams Innis Covering the Years 1894-1922"

• Published in: Canadian journal of communication Vol. 29; no. 2; pp. 159 - 170
• Main Author: Heyer, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Toronto University of Toronto Press 01.04.2004
• Subjects: American literature; Autobiographies; Biographies; British & Irish literature; Canadian history; Communication; Conversation; Economic history; Economic theory; Editing; French language; History; Humor; Humour; Hunting; Innis, Harold; Literacy; McPhail, Alexander J; Perkins, Simeon; Politics; Pond, Peter; Ponds; Pound, Ezra (1885-1972); Scott, Walter (1771-1832); Scottish literature; Singing; Writing; New York; Canada; United States > US
• ISSN: 0705-3657; 1499-6642
• DOI: 10.22230/cjc.2004v29n2a1433

This essay provides an introduction to Harold Innis' autobiographical memoir covering the years 1894-1922 ( www.cjc-online.ca ). Consideration is given to sources that may have inspired him in this direction. They include the memoirs and autobiographies he cites in The Bias of Communication (1951), along with the diary-based studies of three individuals that he wrote in conjunction with his staples research in political economy: Peter Pond, Alexander James McPhail, and Simeon Perkins. Innis' own memoir is assessed as a document that can help us further understand how the scenarios of his early life influenced his character, motivations, and eventual career choices.