In just two centuries, Toronto has grown from a far-flung outpost of the British Empire to a world-class city, the largest in Canada. This book is the first to illustrate Toronto’s history through contemporary maps, drawn at the time to record, promote or illustrate major events. Collected together for the first time, these beautiful, revelatory documents add up to a fascinating visual history of the city’s development. The book covers all of today’s Greater Toronto Area, from Mississauga in the west to Oshawa in the east. Among its treasures are:

• maps by early French traders and military surveyors, including examples from the War of 1812 and the American Civil War period of the 1860s,
• maps of the first surveys that influenced the urban growth of Toronto today,
• maps of railway lines, the Canadian National Exhibition and the fires that wiped out large swaths of the city,
• maps documenting the controversial development of the expressway network, from the 401 to the 407, and
• maps showing the growth of suburbia, from postwar projects to recent subdivisions.