A literary battle without modern parallel in Canada has been banging and crashing just below the horizon for the last few months. The fight is over the book called "People of the Deer" by Farley Mowat…. The antagonists are the author and a magazine called The Beaver, which is published by the Hudson's Bay Company.

In its June issue The Beaver, among whose functions is that of professional debunker of all views of the North which do not conform to the Hudson's Bay Company's long and not entirely distinguished experience in that area, blasted Mowat's book in a review…. The review was written by A. E. Porsild, an Arctic expert employed by the Government, which Mowat criticizes more strongly even than northern traders in his book….

Mowat did write a reply to The Beaver's review, admitting certain errors, all minor, but in all major aspects answering the charges...