Full of surprises and insights, Souvenir of Canada presents us as we have never seen ourselves before in an irresistible flow of text and image. Douglas Coupland offers new ways of seeing and experiencing Canada-looking at how it feels to be a Canadian right now and speculating what it might feel like in the future. From collective memories, he locates objects like stubbie beer bottles and ookpiks, Kraft dinner and maple walnut ice cream. And with the same unique sensibility, he considers significant events and relevant issues, like the flq crisis, Canada's relationship with the United States, medicare and the landscape itself. In the section humbly titled "Cheese," he "When you assemble them together, foods that feel intuitively Canadian look more like camping trip provisions than actual groceries...Canada is a cold and northern country...from a biological standpoint, it is imperative that Canadians stockpile concentrated forms of sugars, carbohydrates, fats and salt." The 50 personal categories of the 30,000-word text are arranged alphabetically and matched with 100 illustrations (50 in colour)-new luscious photos taken by Coupland himself, images of Canadian ephemera and icons, historical photos and pictures from other quite startling sources. Included are photos of cultural installations created by Coupland himself.

Douglas Coupland returns to re-inventing Canada following his best-seller that made it clear, Canada is way more than slightly cool. Douglas Coupland gets Canada. Better, he has set out to re-invent his country with his particular brand of insight, humor, and visual acuity. Souvenir of Canada created a sensation when it was first published, dominating Canada’s best-seller lists for months, and made the front pages of every major Canadian newspaper. Eh? Souvenir of Canada 2 picks up where its predecessor left off. As with the best jazz, the riffs are fresh, never quite predictable, and full of delicious rhythm and subtle humor. This book is packed full of powerfully resonant images, and unexpected juxtapositions, that reveal a new Canada, one at home in a new century. No lighthouses, grain elevators, or teepees here. In addition to his trademark visual revelations, Coupland has created new works of art & design specifically for the book which further evoke the Canadian identity: quilts and cabinets and lamps and tables of startling beauty and subtlety. Each of these objects mirror his personal relationship to Canada in a way which, ultimately, speaks for all Canadians.