The Highway Book Shop (HBS) fonds attests to the activities of the enterprise in promoting and publishing works by Northern Ontario authors. Moreover, the fonds also demonstrates the shop’s commitment to the preservation and documentation of local Northern Ontario history through publishing. It consists of the HBS’s administrative records from the publication side of the enterprise. These include financial records which consist of author agreements, invoices, statements of royalties, and annual reports. These documents give insight into the financial side of the publishing end of the HBS. The fonds also includes correspondence from Doug Pollard and other HBS editorial staff to authors working with the book shop or other external individuals and groups. It also contains Doug Pollard’s personal records which include letters, notes, and keepsakes.
The fonds also contains the HBS published works and includes various manuscripts, publication specifications, and notes from authors that had published with the HBS over the course of its history. Manuscripts that were rejected but were never returned can also be found in this fonds. Furthermore, the fonds also contains many original photographs and sketches that were used in the publication process. Most notably are photographs (original and reproductions) of Haileybury and Cobalt in the late 19th and early 20th century. Examining the drafts, revisions, and proofs provides insight into how the HBS produced various works from the early 1970s until 2010. The fonds are of special interest to researchers of publishing history, business history, and Northern Ontario history.
Highway Book Shop