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The Land Beyond the Wall An Immigration Story
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$13.95The struggle to find one’s place in the world is beautifully rendered in this new paperback edition of The Land Beyond the Wall. Emma is a young girl who journeys from behind the Iron Curtain to Halifax and finds her voice through art in this touching perspective on the harsh realities of immigration.
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South Shore Facts & Folklore
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95With a history that dates back centuries, Nova Scotia’s South Shore is filled with a diverse and eclectic range of cultures from all over the world. It has produced some of Nova Scotia’s most famous personalities, such as writer Thomas H. Raddall, painter Maud Lewis, and actor Donald Sutherland, just to name a few. It is the birthplace of the Bluenose. It is the balsam fir Christmas tree capital of the world, and its picturesque coastline make it a popular location for film shoots, including for The Scarlet Letter, Pit Pony, and The Shipping News.
The region’s history, geography, and culture are presented here as fun and occasionally quirky factoids in the newest edition of the “Facts and Folklore” series. With a map and 20 images interspersed throughout, South Shore Facts and Folklore is a must-have for anyone who wants to learn more about the region.
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Beaches of Lunenburg Queens
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.$9.95With almost 8,000 kilometers of shoreline, Nova Scotia has been described as one long beach. With a population of under one million, it is still possible here to have your own secret beach all to yourself. From water temperatures and maps, this is the beach book every visitor and Nova Scotian MUST have.
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Nova Scotia Outstanding Outhouse Reader
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.Do you know when and where the first road was built in Nova Scotia? Or that the first movie ever filmed in Canada was filmed here? When was the last public execution held in Nova Sco- tia and what was it like on execution day? From the tallest building to the oldest tree to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the most penalized hockey player in NHL history, the Nova Scotia Outstanding Outhouse Reader is the book that should be in every Nova Scotian out- house. If you love Nova Scotia (and we know you do), you sim- ply must have the Nova Scotia Outstanding Outhouse Reader.
Red Sky at Night
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
“Red sky in the morning, sailor take warning; red sky at night, sailor’s delight.” Maritime tradition holds that such warnings be taken seriously. And with good reason; lives often hang in the balance. Sailors aren’t alone in seeing in the world a connectedness that is often lost in the modern world. In Atlantic Canada, thankfully such beliefs still play a role in everyday life. This is a collection of many of those age-old beliefs from the region’s best and most eclectic collector.We also get well known Atlantic Canadians to weigh in with some of their superstitions. Gemini award winning actor and writer, and star of the hit comedy This Hour Has 22 Minutes Cathy Jones recalls many of the “old sayings” from her childhood. Author Allan Lynch remembers home remedies administered by his parents, aunts and grandparents. Former NHLer Glen Murray talks about the superstitions of the game. And singer/songwriters Dave Gunning, Joel Plaskett, Terry Kelly and Rita MacNeil all admit to being just a little bit superstitious. From Nancy Regan, meteorologist Peter Coade, movie reviewer Richard Crouse, and Bluenose II Captain Philip Watson, they are all here.
Ghost Stories of Nova Scotia
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Are you afraid of things that go bump in the night? Do you think someone is watching you even though no one is there? Do doors and windows open and close on their own? If you’ve answered yes to even one of these questions, then join veteran ghost story teller Vernon Oickle as he brings to life some of Nova Scotia’s most intriguing tales of suspense in this collection of ghost stories.
FRIGHTENING
With his new book, master storyteller Vernon Oickle treats us to another volume of frightening stories to keep the chill in our hearts even on the hottest of days. Oickle has been a significant chronicler of the long and rich Nova Scotia heritage of the supernatural and this volume is sure to be an important contribution to that tradition.
— Darryll Walsh, acclaimed ghost hunter and author of Legends and Monsters of Atlantic Canada
KNOWS HIS STUFF
If I want to talk to someone about my health, then I want to talk to my doctor. If I want to talk to someone about the state of my house’s plumbing, then I talk to my plumber. If I want to talk to someone about the ghost stories of Nova Scotia — then I want to talk to Vernon Oickle. The man knows his stuff.
— Steve Vernon, storyteller and author of Haunted Harbours
Red Coat Brigade
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
On a warm, beautiful sunny day in June 1782, the women and young children of the village of Chester come together to defend their still-fledgling settlement against the invading and much more well-armed Americans. Armed only with their cunning and imagination, this rag-tag group of settlers pushed back the marauding intruders without the loss of a single life. In this fictional account of those events, veteran author Vernon Oickle weaves facts and legend to tell a story that has become part of Nova Scotia’s heritage and folklore.
GRIPPING
“Vernon Oickle brings to life the treacherous privateering and divided loyalties that marked America’s Revolutionary War as it spilled over onto Nova Scotia’s shores. Red Coat is a gripping tale from start to finish, a must read.”
—Glenna Jenkins, author of Somewhere I Belong
THRILLER
“This is an historical thriller of the first order. It is a page turner . . . a book you simply won’t be able to put down.”
Robert Hirtle, journalist
Strange Nova Scotia
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Strange Nova Scotia is a fun and, yes, STRANGE romp through this strange land. From Nova Scotia’s connection to why the White House is painted white, to the famed Shag Harbour UFO incident and the possible landing of Prince Henry Sinclair at Chedabucto Bay on June 2, 1398, this book will amuse and intrigue you on every page. From one of the province’s best-known folklorists and the wit of a budding young illustrator comes this instant classic. Welcome to Strange Nova Scotia.
I’m Movin’ On The Life and Legacy of Hank Snow
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Born in tiny Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, Hank Snow enjoyed a musical career that spanned five decades and sales of more than 80 million albums. In I’m Movin’ On, journalist Vernon Oickle chronicles Snow’s hardscrabble life, from his destitute childhood in Queens County to international fame. Leaving no stone unturned in his richly detailed profile of The Singing Ranger, Oickle exposes the highs and lows of Snow’s career, and his journey (“Everywhere, man”) from small East Coast radio stations to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Includes a foreword from Hank’s son, Jimmie Rodgers Snow, a timeline, discography, and 75 photographs.
The Bluenosers’ Book of Slang How To Talk Nova Scotian
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Nova Scotia is blessed with a rich language. It is literally littered with words and expressions that vary from county to county, and town to town. From a dog’s breakfast, to blowin’ a gale, bed lunch, giv’er, fill yer boots, dough funkers, back-ass-wards and right some good, Nova Scotia Slang will introduce you to a whole new language.
More Ghost Stories of Nova Scotia
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Are you still afraid of things that go bump in the night? Do you still think someone is watching you even though no one is there? Do doors and windows still open and close on their own? Do you still see people in your home even though you know you are alone? If you answer yes to even one of these questions, then More Ghost Stories of Nova Scotia will make you feel not alone.
The Second Movement Nova Scotia Outstanding Outhouse Reader #2
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Do you know Canada’s oldest general store is in Nova Scotia? Or that the last British soldier killed in the First World War was born here? Or that the first UFO sighting in North America was recorded on October 12, 1796 in what today is New Minas? Did you know the world’s smallest operating drawbridge is located in Yarmouth County? Or that Minard’s Liniment was created here in the 1860s to relieve muscle pain and stiffness, back pain and arthritis pain?
From the creation of grape nut ice cream to the birthplace of Freemasonry in Canada, to the oldest farmers’ market in the country, the largest wooden church in North America and the world’s largest apple, The Second Movement is the book that should be in every self-respecting Nova Scotian’s outhouse.
Newfoundland and Labrador Outstanding Outhouse Reader
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Do you know when the Vikings established their settlement at L’ase aux Meadows? Or that the only known case of Germans landing in North America during the Second World War was in Newfoundland? When was the last public execution held in Newfoundland and what was it like on execution day? From North America’s oldest city to the eastern point in North America, the Newfoundland and Labrador Outstanding Outhouse Reader is the book that should be in every Newfoundlander’s outhouse. If you love Newfoundland and Labrador (and we know you do), you simply must have the Newfoundland and Labrador Outstanding Outhouse Reader.
Nova Scotia Book of Lists
Publisher: MacIntyre Purcell Publishing Inc.
Humans love lists. As humourist writer H. Allen Smith once wrote, “The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists.” That infatuation with lists continues here. From Nova Scotia’s great collector comes a masterful collection of lists that will start family arguments, provoke a wry smile, or just generally entertain on a cold winter night or in the dog days of summer.
In The Nova Scotia Book of Lists find out:
•Joe Canada’s Top10 qualities that define a “real” Nova Scotian.
• Natalie MacMaster’s wish list of the Top 10 Nova Scotians she would like to perform for.
•Jimmy Rankin’s 10 favourite songs ever performed by a Nova Scotian.
•JC Douglas’ list to Top 10 bands or performers to ever come out of Nova Scotia.
•Dan Soucoup’s list of Nova Scotia’s 10 best books.
•Darryll Walsh’s Top 10 haunted places in Nova Scotia.
•Len Wagg’s 10 best places in Nova Scotia to photograph.
•Joan Dawson’s 10 most memorable back roads she’s ever travelled in Nova Scotia.
•Michael de Adder’s list of the top Nova Scotians that a political cartoonist likes to draw.
•Michael Haynes’ list of Nova Scotia’s best trails.
•Pete Luckett’s 10 top choices of Nova Scotian products he likes to see on a menu when he dies out.
•Gerry Doucet’s top 10 fishing holes in Nova Scotia.
Invisible Shadows
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Invisible Shadows is Verna Thomas’ account of coming to consciousness about race in the wake of changes in education, civil rights, and black self-awareness that swept across the continent in the second half of the twentieth century and against the wider backdrop of slavery. Part autobiography, part history, part race theory, the work’s hybrid form reflects the range of influences brought to bear on it-intersecting histories, cultures, and communities, framed by the events of one woman’s life. The power of Invisible Shadows lies in the sincerity -and the good humour with which Thomas approaches the difficult task of truth-telling.
Le Quai 21
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
For years, Pier 21 in Halifax served as the front door to Canada, the entryway through which more than a million immigrants passed. The radical transition they experienced produced a rich group of stories, presented here in French for the first time. Le Quai 21: La porte d’entrée qui a changé le Canada captures the hope and trepidation of these strangers in a new land. Le Quai 21 is a moving account of the human drama that unfolded at this historic site. Includes over fifty images of staff, volunteers, soldiers, children, war brides, refugees, and immigrants who were a part of the Pier 21 story. New French edition.
Canadian by Choice
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Through the eyes of two recent immigrants we see a strange new world: rural Canada in the 1950s. We follow Gerard and Jane from their arrival on the docks of halifax through months of islolation, bewilderment and terror.Without money and speaking no English, the couple faced many heart-breaking problems, ranging fromunscrupulous emploers to relenting weather. At one point, their only friends were a horse and a Belgian priest.This is a book you can’t put down. you read on with rising emotions, feeling and caring for the people involved,and eager to learn what further happens to them.
Long Shots
Today, the National Hockey League holds a monopoly on professional hockey, at least on this side of the Atlantic. In the early 1900s, a host of professional, minor-pro, senior, junior, and college leagues competed across the continent. More than a decade remained before the Stanley Cup would become the sole property of the NHL. In this era, it was a challenge cup, and it seemed as though every Canadian town–big or small–had a fair shot at the big prize.
In these pre-NHL days, four teams from the Maritimes took up the challenge, competing for what was, even then, hockey’s biggest prize. The 1900 Halifax Crescents club was followed in 1906 by the New Glasgow Cubs, in 1912 by the Moncton Victorias, and in 1913 by the Sydney Millionaires. In Long Shots, author Trevor Adams traces the development of early hockey in the region and follows these four Maritime clubs that competed for hockey’s greatest prize, from their hard-fought victories and local celebrity, to their crushing disappointments.
Includes 25 historical photos and an appendix of statistics and standings.
Immortal Air
Publisher: Cape Breton University Press
Bright and promising as a student, George Cameron was sent to live with his sister in Boston while he attended a prestigious Latin school and later the Boston School of Law. It was what his mother wanted for him and his brother, Charley. It was what any well-bred family would want for an intelligent son destined for greater things than his humble New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, upbringing. On his journey to find his voice among the great poets of the 19th century, George had to leave behind his first love, a muse who haunted his thoughts and fuelled his passion for poetry throughout his life.
Law clerk, journalist, poet, George’s life often seemed to fall short of the dreams of fame he secreted in his private journals, yet his poetry remained ever-present in a mind churning with words and feeling.
George Cameron teamed up with Oscar Telgmann to write the longest-running Canadian opera. Leo: The Royal Cadet. It was his steadfast brother Charley who shared George’s work in the posthumous publication of Lyrics on Freedom, Love and Death.
Door to the Past Abandoned Properties of Prince Edward Island
Publisher: Acorn Press
If you have ever gone for a drive around rural Prince Edward Island, you would have noticed that the rural landscape is littered with abandoned buildings. Tony Gallant began to get curious about these properties and started investigate them, looking for signs of thier past. He began to not only photograph the homes, buildings or barns that have been abandoned on P.E.I, but post what he found on his Facebook page. The result is a curious collection of images of the homes and what is left of the former inhabitants, leaving the reader to only imagine the stories they hold.
Historic Bedford
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Bedford, Nova Scotia, was traditionally a resting place for travellers-from Mi’kmaq heading down the Sackville River by canoe to weary stagecoach and railway passengers seeking hot meals and warm beds while heading to or from Halifax. Bedford grew around the wayside houses and businesses that provided services for those passing through, and alongside industries, including lumber mills and shipbuilding yards. The town’s natural beauty made it the ideal setting for outdoor pursuits and legendary celebrations.
Historic Bedford pairs fascinating photographs with careful research and insight. On every page is captured the town’s enduring character as it transforms from temporary stopping place into charming town.
Historic Queens County
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
The region around Liverpool and Queens County itself is one of the most historic areas of Nova Scotia. Its wide harbours, fisheries, abundant timber and waterways attracted the attention of the early European fishermen and fur traders as well as the American settlers from New England who, in 1759 settled Liverpool. By 1766, the enterprising residents had constructed three water-powered sawmills and established trade links back to New England, as well as to Halifax, the West Indies and Europe. A few infamous Privateers fitted out in Liverpool were the Wolverine, Shannon, and the most successful of all, and best known, the Liverpool Packet. The author compiled this collection from a large number of old photographs from the 1880s until World War Two and provides a vivid portrait of Queens County’s past. An unrivalled visual history of Liverpool.
Historic Wolfville
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
The stately university town of Wolfville has a rich architectural elegance and a spectacular natural presence amid the Annapolis Valley’s rolling farmlands and the regal shores of the Minas Basin. Originally known as Mud Creek, Wolfville was once settled by Acadians and the dykes they built in the 1600s are still visible near the town’s historic waterfront.
Resettled by New England Planters in the 1760s, the small community grew into a regional farming and educational centre during the late 1800s. Home to Acadia University, the town flourished during the early 20th century. The historic images in this book are selected from a wide range of institutional and personal collections. They reveal Wolfville and the surrounding countryside from Grand Pré to Port Williams in stunning detail and with a fond affection.
The historic photos date from the time of the earliest photography – late 1800s – to the 1940s when Wolfville’s streetscape changed drastically, in keeping with the move to modernize the Valley. While the university now dominates the town, these historic photos reveal that agriculture was once central to Wolfville’s existence. Many of the photos were taken from the collections at Randall House Museum and the Nova Scotia Public Archives, but other photos were selected from private collections throughout Kings County.
Historic Bridgewater
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
The history of Bridgewater is firmly connected to the beautiful LaHave River because of its importance in terms of geography, commerce, and recreation.Homes and buildings; the railway and the highway; the Davison Lumber Mill; the business life of Bridgewater; and people, events, and daily life are all examined through careful research and selected images to give a complete view of the history of Bridgewater.
Acadia University
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Acadia University explores the illustrious institution from the ground up: from its humble beginnings as Acadia College, a Baptist school established in 1839 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, to one of the top-ranked undergraduate universities in the country. This newest addition to the Images of Our Past series is an entertaining and enlightening history for anyone connected to the celebrated university
Ghost At Mahone Bay
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Do ghosts exist? Join inseparable friends Emmie Seegal and Angela Black, who live near Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, as they discover that the answer to that question could be yes! One memorable summer, unexplained events and strange rescues from life-threatening dangers lead the two girls to believe that a kind spirit must be watching over them. Ghosts or no ghosts, Angela and Emmie have no shortage of escapades, encountering rogue kittens, friendly boat captains, and other colourful characters as they involve the whole town of Mahone Bay in their spirited adventures.
Danger At Mason’s Island
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Danger at Mason’s Island, the second in the Angela and Emmie Adventure series, is a junior fiction adventure aimed at middle readers.
It’s summertime once again in Mahone Bay, and Angela and Emmie are hoping to make some money with their pet-sitting business. But when they go to Mason’s Island to take care of the troublesome cat Rascal, they find a lot more money than they’ve ever dreamed of! Who’s hidden twenty thousand dollars on the captain’s island? When are they coming back for it? And will Angela and Emmie be safe when they do? Join the girls in a heart-pounding adventure story, as they discover that even the quaint town of Mahone Bay has a criminal underworld.
