At the turn of the century McGill University could count students in only five faculties. Yet, in Medicine and Science, it had already gained an international reputation and, through its system of affiliated schools and colleges, had begun to exercise an influence within Canada disproportionate to its size. By the late 1960s McGill had survived the crucial war years, the considerable challenges of Duplessis' French-Canadian nationalism, and the student revolt.

In this second volume of the university's history, Frost relates its unique story and recalls McGill as a way of life. He describes the evolution of its disciplines and the transformation of an elite college into a cosmopolitan university. He also draws revealing portraits of the university's many leaders including Cyril James, whom he describes as a super-efficient economist and a benevolent dictator of high principle.

While historians will weigh the facts with care, past and present members of the McGill community and the general reader will greet them with pleasure and not infrequently with surprise.