John Howison was a Scottish writer and surgeon who, between 1818 and 1820, travelled to Upper and Lower Canada (now Ontario and Quebec) and settled for a time at St Catharines, Ontario. During his time in Canada, he travelled throughout the country and recorded what he saw. This book, Sketches of Life in Upper Canada, was the culmination of that journey. It was published in Edinburgh in 1821 and provides a detailed description of settler life in Canada in the early-nineteenth century.

This book is not only a travelogue of Howison's time in Ontario; it also provides much practical information aimed at the aspiring emigrant to the country. It describes the climate of the province, which crops grow best, the cost of land, the cost of passage to Canada, how and where to establish a homestead and what to do during the long winters, as well as remarking on the character and habits of the Canadians.