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.