Ronald Caplan
Encyclopedia
Ronald Caplan, (born 1945)
Publisher, Writer, Folk-historian, Order of Canada appointee.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1945, Ronald Caplan emigrated to Canada in 1971. He moved to Canada's Maritimes
and in 1972, he and his young family settled-down in Cape Breton Island
's Highlands region, and began chronicling the local history. This was a region where Canadian Gaelic – a dialect of Scottish Gaelic – was still the predominant language spoken by people in the area, but was quickly being replaced by English. Sensing that he would have only a time-limited opportunity to record this culture before its native speakers died-off, he founded Cape Breton's Magazine in 1972, to record the culture and living history of the island and its people. Foxfire Magazine
provided the inspiration for the magazine's design and layout, while Robert Frank
influenced his photographic style. His audio recordings and photographs are a lasting record of this way-of-life that has mostly disappeared. He was appointed to the Order of Canada
on 30 December 2010 for his work on the magazine and as the publisher of the Breton Books imprint.
Publisher, Writer, Folk-historian, Order of Canada appointee.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1945, Ronald Caplan emigrated to Canada in 1971. He moved to Canada's Maritimes
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
and in 1972, he and his young family settled-down in Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America. It likely corresponds to the word Breton, the French demonym for Brittany....
's Highlands region, and began chronicling the local history. This was a region where Canadian Gaelic – a dialect of Scottish Gaelic – was still the predominant language spoken by people in the area, but was quickly being replaced by English. Sensing that he would have only a time-limited opportunity to record this culture before its native speakers died-off, he founded Cape Breton's Magazine in 1972, to record the culture and living history of the island and its people. Foxfire Magazine
Foxfire (magazine)
The Foxfire magazine began in 1966, written and published as a quarterly American magazine by students at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, a private secondary education school located in the U.S. state of Georgia...
provided the inspiration for the magazine's design and layout, while Robert Frank
Robert Frank
Robert Frank , born in Zürich, Switzerland, is an important figure in American photography and film. His most notable work, the 1958 photobook titled The Americans, was influential, and earned Frank comparisons to a modern-day de Tocqueville for his fresh and skeptical outsider's view of American...
influenced his photographic style. His audio recordings and photographs are a lasting record of this way-of-life that has mostly disappeared. He was appointed to the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
on 30 December 2010 for his work on the magazine and as the publisher of the Breton Books imprint.