If a formal history is a four-lane highway, Nick Fonda says in his
introduction to Richmond, Now and Then: an anecdotal history, his book
is a meandering country road. The metaphor is apt. The stories in this
book focus largely on the small town of Richmond in Quebec's historic
Eastern Townships. After offering a speculative overview of lower St.
Francis River valley in pre-colonial times, the book takes the
equivalent of a quick snapshot of Richmond as it is today.