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Haven in the Heart of Halifax An Illustrated History of the Public Gardens
Publisher: Pottersfield Press$25.95The Public Gardens is one of the finest examples of a Victorian garden anywhere in the world. Nestled in the heart of the city, this important public space has a fascinating history. When you enter the Public Gardens, it feels for a moment as if you have stepped back in time. Everything seems to slow down when you push open one of the iron gates and set foot on the winding gravel paths that meander throughout plantings of astonishing variety. It is seemingly timeless but, of course, it has changed a great deal over almost one hundred years.
Nestled in the heart of the city, the Public Gardens’ origins date from the 1830s. Inside its gates are a staggering variety of beautiful flowers, shrubs, and trees and the most memorable historic structures. The aesthetic of the Public Gardens was the vision of Richard Power, the Gardens’ original superintendent.
Over time, the Gardens took its current form, through the addition of familiar features such as the bandstand, cast iron gates, fountain, and bridges. The structures and monuments in the garden themselves are filled with significance. Citizens and visitors alike have found a quiet oasis of calm in the middle of the downtown core. It is a place where memories have been made, as generation after generation have taken in the seven hectares of beauty. When you enter the Public Gardens, it feels as if you are stepping out of a hectic city and back in time. But the Public Gardens has survived through the careful stewardship of a cross section of the community.
This lavishly illustrated book is the first comprehensive history of this remarkable place.
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From Land and Sea
Editor: Dee ApplebyPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$35.00A near-island bathed in salty sea air and brushed by steady winds, Nova Scotia is often shadowed by dark clouds one moment and lit by a brilliant sun the next. This ever-changing and remarkably diverse landscape makes the province an inspiration for artists.
From Land and Sea: Nova Scotia’s Contemporary Landscape Artists profiles 70 artists and their works, representing a wide range of styles. Dozay Christmas and Alan Syliboy draw from Mi’kmaw legends, June Deveau and Denise Comeau depict Acadian landscapes, and realists such as Tom Forrestall, Leonard Paul, and Alice Reed immerse us in a rare moment frozen in time.
With a foreword from Ray Cronin, director and CEO of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, From Land and Sea is not only an indispensable guide to the artists themselves, but a stunning portrait of a remarkable province.
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Prince Edward Island Pictorial Cookbook
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$21.95The combination of beautiful Prince Edward Island photographs and the wonderful recipes of fresh food from the Island is simply irresistible.
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Coastal Nova Scotia
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$11.95A selective guide to outdoor activity in Nova Scotia, including both challenging, invigorating recreation and relaxing activities. Organized by region, this book has activities for all ages.
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Black Snow
$19.95Black Snow is a love story set during the Halifax Explosion. The 1917 disaster was the largest man-made blast the world had ever known, and it cut Halifax off from the rest of the world for the darkest thirty-six hours in its history. Rich in fact and shocking images, the story sets a blistering pace following one man’s search through a ruined city for the love of his life as he confronts the wreckage of his past.
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History of Hangings in Nova Scotia
$17.95Almost as soon as Halifax was settled by the British in 1749, it became a violent place to live, and in attempts to deal with this, public hangings and floggings were a common occurrence for close to a hundred years. Subject to the British legal system, criminals in Halifax were hanged for crimes that ranged from petty theft to gruesome murders.
From the original gallows tree at the bottom of George Street to hangings in rural communities, citizens were always drawn to a hanging. This book explores many of the Nova Scotian crimes that ended with the noose. Some of those included are the Saladin pirates, one of the bloodiest cases ever brought before a court in Nova Scotia; the hanging of Peter Mailman, who murdered his wife but captivated a reporter; and the trial of William Robinson, who not only murdered his wife but desecrated her body and tried to burn the evidence.
Hangings may have been grisly events, but they drew large crowds, and are a testament to the prevalent interest in the dark side of history. Issues of deterrence, public opinion, and effectiveness down through the years are explored by the author as she traces the crimes and punishment for murders that prevailed from the very first hanging in the province in 1749 to the last hanging in 1937.
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Nova Scotia (Wagg) 2nd edition
Photographer: Len Wagg$29.95Nova Scotia is celebrated the world over for its rugged coastline, charming villages, and pristine wilderness. The province’s natural beauty is on full display in this incredible collection of images from photographer Len Wagg.
Vivid, colourful photographs of the spectacular coastline along the Cabot Trail, the Peggy’s Cove lighthouse under a sparkling night sky, and the rich farmland of the Shubenacadie River Valley–among many others–reveal the very essence of Nova Scotia.
For long-time residents and first-time visitors alike, these unforgettable images affirm the province’s reputation as one of the world’s cultural and natural treasures.
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We Keep A Light
$15.95In We Keep A Light, Evelyn M. Richardson describes how she and her husband bought tiny Bon Portage Island and built a happy life there for themselves and their three children. On an isolated lighthouse station off the southern tip of Nova Scotia, the Richardsons shared the responsibilities and pleasures of island living, from carrying water and collecting firewood to making preserves and studying at home. The close-knit family didn’t mind their isolation, and found delight in the variety and beauty of island life.
We Keep A Light is much more than a memoir. It is an exquisitely written, engrossing record of family life set against a glowing lighthouse, the enduring shores of Nova Scotia, and the ever-changing sea.
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Saint John
$29.95One of New Brunswick’s best known photographers , Rob Roy lives and works in the historic Trinity Royal area of Saint John. Roy’s photography is at once practical and artistic, bringing together everyday scenes of Saint John and almost missed moments of beauty.
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Sustainable People
$19.95This book deals with a new role that has emerged as communities all over the world struggle to gain more control over their destinies as globalization accelerates.Community entrepreneurs create organizations that encourage people to learn their way out of poverty, dependency and marginalization. By participating in such innovative ventures, individuals become more self-sustaining and able to create good lives for themselves and others in their own communities or wherever the choose to settle.Sustainable People moves discussion about social and economic change from abstract terms such as “community” and “development” by focusing on what individuals and groups are actually doing to encourage personal and community development, it documents the background of the role of the entrepreneur, the kinds of organizations they create, their learning process and the moral basis of their initiatives.
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Cape Breton Highlands National Park
$16.95For both the hiker and the armchair traveller, this park lover’s companion to Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a beautifully-written natural history and guide to the northern jewel. Noted naturalist Clarence Barrett speaks to us directly.
