Champlain's Dream: The European Founding of North America

(Simon and Schuster)

In this biography of Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec 400 years ago and made at least 27 Atlantic crossings, the author examines his efforts at building New France. A soldier, mariner, explorer, naturalist, ethnographer, and courtier, Champlain worked closely with Indian nations and helped establish three French-speaking populations in the New World — Québécois, Acadien, and Métis. Fischer is a history professor at Brandeis University.