Butter down the well: Reflections of a Canadian childhood

In this immensely popular Canadian classic, Robert Collins describes his boyhood growing up in Saskatchewan during the bleak years of the Depression. Featuring the fine realist paintings of well-known painter Len Gibbs, this special illustrated edition evokes the mood of that era both through Collins's humorous and touching stories and through Gibbs's detailed acrylic paintings.

Robert Collins was born in Shamrock, Saskatchewan, where he lived until joining the armed forces in 1943. An award-winning journalist, he has written for a variety of magazines, and he is the author of fourteen books.

Len Gibbs was born in Cranbrook, BC, and was raised in Brandon, MB, and later in Edmonton, AB. After almost three decades of painting, Len Gibbs has earned an international reputation for his highly realistic acrylic paintings, his meticulous craftsmanship and the life and emotion that infuse his work.