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A Giant Man from a Tiny Town A Story of Angus MacAskill
Artist: Christopher HoytPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95When Angus MacAskill was still just a boy, he began to grow…and grow…and…grow! Known far and wide as the Cape Breton Giant, Angus was loved by his neighbours as much for his beautiful singing voice as for his renowned strength. But as much as Angus loved his little town of St. Ann’s, Cape Breton, he decided to leave and seek fortune and adventure.
With heartfelt text from critically acclaimed author Tom Ryan and meticulously researched and joyful illustrations from Christopher Hoyt (A is for Adventure), A Giant Man from a Tiny Town tells the story of a remarkable man who travelled the world performing for crowds, but never stopped longing to return to the place he loved the best: his Cape Breton home.
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A Halifax Time-Travelling Tune
Artist: Marijke SimonsPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Grandma closed the piano lid. “I love singing those old tunes with you.
I wish you could have seen the Halifax I once knew.”This dreamy and whimsical story follows a young child who travels back in time to 1950s Halifax with a whimsical tune. Follow the pair through Point Pleasant Park, the Public Gardens, Spring Garden Road, Citadel Hill, and other historic Halifax landmarks, showing off all the sights and sounds of the city. With lively text from Governor General’s Literary Award finalist Jan Coates and vivid illustrations of mid-century Halifax by Marijke Simons, A Halifax Time-Travelling Tune is bound to conjure more than a few bedtime singalongs.
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Sidney Crosby, Hat Trick Edition The Story of a Champion
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Sidney Crosby: The Story of a Champion follows the young Cole Harbour hockey phenomenon through his early years in minor hockey, his dominating run through the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, his recordÂbreaking play with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and his spectacular contributions to Team Canada at international competitions. With colour photographs of Crosby in action and featuring interviews from coaches, teammates, and hockey insiders like Pierre McGuire, this accessible, visual book is the account of a onceÂinÂaÂgeneration hockey talent and his path to greatness.
This new edition features updates and a new chapter and photos showcasing Crosby’s recent achievements.
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East Coast Crafted The Essential Guide to the Beers, Breweries, and Brewpubs of Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$39.95From the pioneering breweries of historic downtown Halifax to the distinct merroir of rural Prince Edward Island, from the banks of New Brunswick’s St. John River to the far-flung iceberg alleys of Newfoundland, East Coast Crafted features behind-the-scenes profiles of each of Atlantic Canada’s nearly 70 breweries and brewpubs. With a fun, narrative style, authors Christopher Reynolds (Cicerone, beer judge, co-owner, Stillwell beer bar) and Whitney Moran (beer journalist and editor) get to know the people behind the pints and offer readers dozens of recommendations as they explore their favourite suds from across the region. The result is the first comprehensive guide to Atlantic Canada’s evolving craft beer industry, an ideal read for beer tourists and local champions of Canada’s fastest-growing craft beer-producing region.
Features a foreword from Canada’s preeminent beer writer, Stephen Beaumont ( World Atlas of Beer ), and over 60 colour photos from celebrated photographer Jessica Emin ( The Wine Lover’s Guide to Atlantic Canada ).
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A Bird on Every Tree
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Carol Bruneau, author of six acclaimed works of fiction (most recently, These Good Hands), brings her finely honed voice to 12 new stories about shifting concepts of Nova Scotian identity.
In “The Race,” a war bride’s remarkable life trajectory unfolds as she competes in an international swim marathon in the Northwest Arm. Strain erupts between a Haligonian couple in “Burning Times,” while they struggle to keep track of one another, both physically and emotionally, on an Italian vacation. In “Polio Beach,” cousins gather oceanside over the will of a recently deceased aunt who once saved one of them from drowning.
Writing with empathy, humour, and linguistic precision, Bruneau follows characters who find themselves connected to Nova Scotia by birth, through attempts at escape and new beginnings, or as a temporary resting place, always carrying with them their own idiosyncratic and complex definitions of “home.”
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Truth and Honour The Death of Richard Oland and the Trial of Dennis Oland
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95Truth and Honour explores the 2011 murder of Saint John businessman Richard Oland, of the prominent family that owns Moosehead Breweries, the ensuing police investigation and the arrest, trial, and conviction of the victim’s son, Dennis Oland, for second Âdegree murder.
Oland’s trial would be the most publicized in New Brunswick history. What the trial judge called “a family tragedy of Shakespearian proportions,” this realÂlife murder mystery included adultery, family dysfunction, largely circumstantial evidence, allegations of police incompetence, a high-powered legal defence, and a verdict that shocked the community.
Today, the Oland family maintains Dennis Oland’s innocence. Author Greg Marquis, a professor of Canadian history at the University of New Brunswick Saint John, leads readers through the case, from the discovery of the crime to the conviction and sentencing of the defendant. Offering multiple perspectives, Truth and Honour explores this question: was Dennis Oland responsible for the death of his father?
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The Flying Squirrel Stowaways From Halifax to Boston
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95It’s wintertime in Nova Scotia and two flying squirrels are busy exploring the woods around their spruce-tree home. After a busy night of playing and gliding and snacking, they’re ready to settle down and sleep all day.
But humans have other plans: the tree is cut down and packed onto a truck bound for Boston, Massachusetts. Turns out their new home has been chosen as Halifax’s annual thank-you gift, the Boston Christmas Tree. The little squirrels have no idea they’re about to embark on a journey across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine on the way to Boston. Will the accidental stowaways be discovered? And what awaits them in their new American home?
From the author and illustrator of Jigs and Reels comes a vibrantly illustrated, fun holiday story about curiosity, adventure, and making a new home.
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If You Could Wear My Sneakers
Artist: Darcia LabrossePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95A Sheree Fitch classic, the Silver Birch and Hackmatack Award-winning children’s picture book about children’s rights, If You Could Wear My Sneakers, is now available for a new generation of young readers. A series of humorous poems, paired with timeless illustrations, interprets 15 of the 54 articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
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Goth Girl
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95There are only three things fifteen-year-old Victoria Markham truly enjoys: English class, her signature “Goth Girl” look, and art. It’s just that she tends to do the last one late at night, with spray paint, in public places. It isn’t long before Vic is caught red-handed and forced into community service with a bunch of stereotypes: there’s Rachael, the princess; Russell and Peter, a pair of fist-bumping punks; and Zach, the rich jock, who Vic is secretly crushing on. The motley crew has to collaborate to produce a mural for Halifax, but getting it organized is like herding cats.
On top of all that, Vic’s mother’s boyfriend, the only father figure Vic has ever known and the one who taught her to paint, left them both. Vic’s mother is still reeling, her relationship with her daughter strained. She doesn’t understand Vic’s insistence on spiking her hair, piercing her nose and lip, and wearing black clothing and heavy makeup. Vic is convinced her mother doesn’t care enough to find out what’s really behind the get-up.
Tensions run high as Vic tries to figure out who she is: Victoria Markham, or Goth Girl? Sometimes, there’s more to people than meets the eye.
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The Little Book of Ontario
Photographer: George FischerPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95In The Little Book of Ontario, George Fischer captures the crystal clear lakes, sprawling forests, and glittering skylines of the Heartland Province. From the Great Lakes to the Canadian Shield, Fischer takes readers on a visual journey, with nearly 80 stunning full-colour photographs, across Ontario’s graceful waterfalls, flowing rivers, rustic buildings, rolling farmlands, and vibrant cities. In this popular, travel-sized format, the newest offering in the Little Book series shows Ontario’s people, towns, and landscapes through every season.
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Cammie Takes Flight
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95A heartfelt coming-of-age story, Cammie Takes Flight explores the values of perseverance, unlikely friendships, and what it means to be a family.
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Not My Party The rise and fall of Canadian Tories, from Robert Stanfield to Stephen Harper
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$34.95This outspoken, timely book by former Mulroney Cabinet Minister Tom McMillan indicts Stephen Harper for destroying the historic Canadian Conservative Party while prime minister and party leader, accusing him of turning a force for progressive Canadian values into an American Republican Âstyle vehicle for right-Âwing ideologues. Lamenting Harper’s hyperpartisan “cult of personality” politics, McMillan argues the Conservative Party is no longer the enlightened national institution founded by Sir John A. Macdonald and nurtured by successive Tory leaders until the 2003 Reform/Canadian Alliance Party merger.
In a crisp, conversational tone, McMillan contrasts this new brand of Conservatism with Robert Stanfield’s 1960s/70s “politics of thoughtfulness,” assessing the impact of Stanfield’s legacy on successive Conservative leaders. He urges Conservative progressives to reclaim their party from right-Âwing extremists and revive its commitment to nation Âbuilding and national unity; to re-brand itself, once again, as Progressive Conservative.
A fascinating political memoir from a longÂtime Conservative Party insider, Not My Party explores the evolution-or devolution-of Canada’s Conservative Party, how backÂroom party politics operates, and political leaders succeed or fail.
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Atlantic Animal ABC
Artist: Angela DoakPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$16.95From Atlantic puffin to zooplankton, with lots of wild Atlantic Canadiana in between–like lobster, brown bat, moon jellyfish, porcupine, and more–Atlantic Animal ABCs is the perfect introduction for young ones to the region’s wildlife.
With vibrant paper collage illustrations, Angela K. Doak’s whimsical animal interpretations are a great teaching tool for introducing baby to alphabet and animals all at once, and leave lots of room for play!
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From Seed to Centrepiece A Floral Journey through the Seasons
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$34.95The rich soils and climate of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley are home to over 150 types of flowers, grasses, and foliage from May until November. As a flower farmer, Amanda Muis Brown of Humble Burdock Farms uses her innate understanding of the unpredictable Maritime growing season and a palette of farm fresh flowers to create stunning and joyful designs with all of the colour, chaos, and texture of the natural world.
With lyrical, narrative text, From Seed to Centrepiece takes readers through a year on the farm, showcasing the joys and obstacles of planning, growing, maintaining, and celebrating local flowers. Divided into seasonal chapters, subdivided by month, readers will learn what is growing and when; what to look out for, how to prepare, cultivate, and enjoy their own flower gardens. Includes profiles of the author’s favourite flowers, as well as sidebars on farm wildlife, tips and tricks for keeping your cut flowers beautiful. Complete with over 300 stunning colour photographs of the farm, its flowers, and arrangements and decorations—from flower crowns to holiday centrepieces and kid-friendly crafts—for every season.
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Be a Night Detective Solving the Mysteries of Twilight, Dusk, and Nightfall
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Why are moths drawn to light at night? Why do some flowers only bloom under the moon? Are stars really falling from the sky?
Naturalist and artist Peggy Kochanoff answers these questions and more in this illustrated guide to solving nature mysteries after dark. From the author of Silver Birch-nominated Be a Wilderness Detective and Hackmatack-nominated Be a Beach Detective comes a new adventure full of fascinating facts. From tiny cicadas in the grass and skunks digging in your backyard, to the Northern Lights dancing in the sky, Kochanoff shines a light on the intriguing nightlife of Atlantic Canada’s nocturnal creatures.
Features a glossary, identification page, and further reading.
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Field Notes A City Girl’s Search for Heart and Home in Rural Nova Scotia
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Sara Jewell has collected lots of addresses—eighteen in total—including four in Vancouver, British Columbia, and three in her hometown of Cobourg, Ontario. But there was one address that always remained constant: Pugwash Point Road in rural Nova Scotia. She was nine years old the first time her family vacationed in the small fishing village about an hour from the New Brunswick border, and the red soil stained her heart. Life, as it’s wont to do, eventually took Jewell away from the east coast. But when her marriage and big-Âcity life started to crumble, she only wanted one thing: a fresh start in Pugwash.
Accented with five original drawings from Joanna Close.
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Disposable Souls
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95The body of Pastor Sandy Gardner, a TV preacher with a global following, turns up near a Halifax container pier. The mysterious case lands with Cam Neville, a city cop with a dead wife, PTSD, and a haunting past. Can Neville, a former biker and war hero, solve the killing and find himself?
In search of the truth, Neville and his partner, a Mi’kmaw Mountie named Blair Christmas, enter a perilous world of strippers, kiddie porn, and corruption that threatens to destroy them. Meanwhile, Neville is torn between loyalties to his two brothers, one still with the Satan’s Stallion bike club founded by their father, and another, a priest who wants to save everyone, including Cam.
In Disposable Souls, author Phonse Jessome has created a complex and compelling protagonist and placed him in a gritty underbelly of bikers, cops, and killers, masterfully blurring the lines between good and bad, sinners and saints.
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Anne of the Island (Vol3)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$10.95In the third installment of the Anne of Green Gables series, Anne Shirley heads for Redmond College, leaving behind her rural life in Avonlea for the city of Kingsport. There she must deal with an unfortunate marriage proposal, the beginning of her writing career, and the sudden attention of Gilbert Blythe. Is Anne ready for true love?
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A Tale of Two Countries
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95With a broad scope deeply anchored in demographics, A Tale of Two Countries focuses on Saillant’s powerful argument: that the “twin forces of economic and demographic gravity” spell trouble for eastern Canada, and for the country as a whole, if we don’t act now. With charts, extensive endnotes, and compelling arguments, A Tale of Two Countries is a must-read for those seeking an accessible, evidence-based policy analysis of Canada’s uncertain future, recommendations for addressing its consequences, and their potential impact on all Canadians.
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Simon Spatz From Holocaust to Halifax, A Story of Survival and Success
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95Former journalism professor Michael Cobdon tells the remarkable story of Nova Scotia business magnate Simon Spatz, who survived the Holocaust, immigrated to Canada at middle-age with no knowledge of English, and developed a multi-million-dollar real estate firm.
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For the Love of Lobster Celebrating Atlantic Canada’s Favourite Crustacean
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95In this photographic gift book, author-photographer Denise Adams tells the “rags to riches” story of lobster, exploring the biology of this mysterious, well-armored underwater insect, the history and evolution of Atlantic lobster fishery, and offering humane cooking methods and delicious traditional lobster recipes with a modern twist. Includes 80 colour photographs.
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Broken Pieces An Orphan of the Halifax Explosion
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95One hundred years ago, on December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc collided with the Belgian relief vessel Imo in the Halifax Harbour. At first, a small fire broke out aboard the Mont Blanc, which grew bigger crowds of people and emergency responders linded the shores of Halifax and Dartmouth to get a better look. Suddenly, the Mont Blanc‘s explosive cargo blew up, flattening homes and businesses, and triggering a tsunami.
Amid the confusion and devastation that followed the blast was fourteen-year-old Barbara Orr, who had been walking from her neighbourhood in Richmond to a friend’s house. Follow Barbara as she navigates post-explosion Halifax, learning about rescue efforts, the kindness of strangers, and the bravery of heroes like Vincent Coleman along the way.
Part of the popular Compass series, this full-colour non-fiction book includes highlighted glossary terms, informative sidebars, over 50 illustrations and historical photographs, a detailed index, and recommended further reading. In commemoration of the tragic event’s 100th anniversary, Broken Pieces is a great resource for young readers and educators.
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New Brunswick Was His Country
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$25.95Regularly described as New Brunswick’s greatest scholar, William Francis Ganong (1864-1941) wrote more than many people have ever read. His range of interests is reflected in his vast body of work: botany, zoology, physiography, cartography, and native languages were all within his reach. But his greatest interest, subsuming all others, was New Brunswick.
Ganong endeavoured to write even his most scholarly papers for the general reader, and that is what historian Ronald Rees had done with New Brunswick Was His Country. An appreciation of Ganong’s work and a biography of the man behind it, rather than an exhaustive critical assessment, this fascinating overview will appeal to any reader interested in the natural and settlement history of New Brunswick and the working life of its most extraordinary scholar, from his summers conducting field research in Passamaquoddy Bay to his pivotal role in founding the New Brunswick Museum.
Richly illustrated with historical photographs, Ganong’s own maps and drawings, and contemporary images, New Brunswick Was His Country is an essential addition to Atlantic Canada’s historical canon.
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Atlantic Coastal Gardening Growing Inspired, Resilient Plants by the Sea
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$27.95With a focus on sea-hardy flowers, vegetables, herbs, and shrubs, this highly visual narrative guide teaches gardeners on the North Atlantic coast how to cultivate, design, maintain, and enjoy coastal gardens. Chapters feature techniques for gardening in the coastal climate year round, gathering and growing seeds, simple, natural recipes for the seaside garden harvest, solutions to poor soil quality, and more!
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Untamed Atlantic Canada Exploring the Region’s Biodiversity Havens
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$27.95Spanning 1,200 kilometres from New Brunswick’s Passamaquoddy Bay to Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, Atlantic Canada stands as a nexus between North America and the North Atlantic Ocean. Its diverse geography, variable climate, and surrounding ocean currents coalesce to create a rich medley of habitats both on the land and in the sea. There are currently eight thousand known species in this little corner of the world, and awardÂwinning nature photographer Scott Leslie has captured a beautiful selection of them on these pages.
In Untamed Atlantic Canada, discover the stunning array of animals living in the region–from elusive black foxes, to clouds of semiÂpalmated sandpipers, and endangered right whales–through 140 colour images with detailed, narrative captions. This photographic collection is perfect for seasoned naturalists and novice nature lovers alike.
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The Fundy Vault A Rosalind Mystery
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Linda Moore’s longÂawaited sequel to Foul Deeds is another highly engaging mix of art and environmental justice. Finally working a real job as a researcher for the Public Prosecution Service, Roz is on her first paid vacation. She has rented a cottage on Nova Scotia’s beautiful Minas Basin with plans to explore ideas for her next theatre production. Accompanied by her cat and a stack of Beckett plays, she has no sooner settled in than she spots what looks like a woman’s body tangled in the roots of a floating tree. Before the local RCMP can send a boat out, the body is retrieved by helicopter, and Roz watches it disappear over North Mountain. It’s time to call in her old sleuthing partner, McBride.
When McBride completely disappears, Roz and her longtime theatre friend Sophie roam the backroads and small towns of the Annapolis Valley in search of clues, narrowing in on the out-ofÂtheÂway quarry no one seems to want them to visit, the tanker trunks that nearly run them off the road, and a young journalist who seems to have come too close to the truth.
The Fundy Vault is a lightning-paced literary mystery that will keep the heart pumping and the brain ticking long after the final page.
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Old Man Told Us (new edition)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$26.95The Mi’kmaq people have been living in what is now Atlantic Canada for two thousand years or more, yet written history has largely ignored them, presenting them merely as a homogeneous mass or as statistics. Renowned Micmac specialist Ruth Holmes Whitehead, formerly staff ethnologist and assistant curator in history at the Nova Scotia Museum, tries to redress that omission by restoring to the collective memory a true sense of the Mi’kmaq. In this rich collection, oral and written, Mi’kmaq accounts juxtapose contemporary European perceptions of native peoples, as documented in letters, journals, court cases, and much more. Above all, The Old Man Told Us is a historical jigsaw puzzle, a display of fragments of broken mirror in which one can capture moments in the lives of particular people. It is a book of excerpts from whatever scattered documentation has survived over the centuries.
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Years Before Anne (new edition)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$18.95Francis W. P. Bolger, who teaches history at the University of Prince Edward Island, has compiled an informative and complete picture of the fascinating life and brilliant career of Lucy Maud Montgomery, drawing on her scrapbooks, letters, diaries, photos and conversations with family members.
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The Wine Lover’s Guide to Atlantic Canada
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$37.95Whether it’s racking up international awards or attracting tourists to the east coast in droves, the world has taken notice of Atlantic Canada’s wine. The Wine Lover’s Guide to Atlantic Canada is the definitive guide to region, through the blueberry-wine empire of Newfoundland and Labrador, to the isolated terroir of Prince Edward Island, the lush river vineyards of New Brunswick, and the rich coastal and valley wines of Nova Scotia.
In engaging, accessible text, sommelier-journalists Moira Peters and Craig Pinhey explore the history, climate, and industry of wine-making distinct to each Atlantic province, showcasing the various grape varietals, styles, and influences of this eclectic wine region. Features profiles of over thirty Atlantic wineries, sidebars, terroir maps, and is accented with over 75 stunning images from sommelier-photographer Jessica Emin.
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Let’s Read!
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$10.95Let’s Read! brings parents, babies and books together to celebrate the joys of reading. This latest book in the popular Baby Steps series shows the many ways babies engage with books at different ages and stages, from looking and listening to pointing at pictures and choosing their bedtime books. See the foundation of reading build, from a newborn listening to their parent’s voice to a toddler excited about reading. Evocative photos of babies interacting with books and a bouncy read-aloud text will appeal to baby and parent alike. Every new parent will want Let’s Read! on their baby’s bookshelf.
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Sable Island in Black and White
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95The newest addition to the Images of Our Past series, Sable Island in Black and White is a fascinating look at day-to-day life on Nova Scotia’s most secluded outpost during the nineteenth century. Travel back in time to 1884 when author Jill Martin-Bouteillier’s great aunt, Trixie, was growing up on this isolated spit of sand 160 kilometres from the North American mainland. Trixie’s father, Robert Jarvis (R. J.) Bouteillier, was Sable Island’s superintendent, acting on behalf of the Nova Scotia government as lawmaker, doctor, dispenser of stores, and, most importantly, head of lifesaving.
This narrative history accented by more than 100 black and white family photographs of the island’s famous shipwrecks, wild horses, and visitors tells the incredible true story of a stalwart group of ordinary people who called Sable Island home.
