-
Titanic Halifax (2nd edition) A Guide to Sites
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Titanic Halifax presents the dramatic stories of those who didn’t survive the sinking, and details the efforts made from Halifax to gather and bury the dead. This guidebook includes accounts of the “Unknown Child” controversy, details on Halifax’s role in storing and maintaining Titanic artifacts, and the city’s participation in Titanic, the movie. This pocket guide includes maps and photographs of the city’s many Titanic sites. A perfect companion while discovering the places where Titanic’s ghosts roam. Updated edition with the latest findings and information.
-
A Short History of Halifax
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$16.95Covering the most significant events in the storied history of the city, A Short History of Halifax is a fascinating, accessible record. In a readable, narrative style, author Dan Soucoup offers up a to-the-point history, taking readers from the geography of the harbour and the settlement of the city, through years of conflict between its various inhabitants—Mi’kmaq, British, Acadian.
Encompassing the entire history of the city, from 1749 to present, A Short History of Halifax is the perfect read for tourists seeking an historical overview of Halifax, and residents curious about the city they call home. Includes 30 black and white photos.
-
History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects History of Nova Scotia Through Museum Artifacts
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$21.95Have you ever been to the LaHave Islands Marine Museum on Bell Island? How about the Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique, or the Africville Museum in Halifax? Joan Dawson has. Armed with a spirit of adventure, curiosity, and the belief that “treasures can be found in unlikely places,” the author-historian has scoured Nova Scotia’s National Heritage Sites and community museums for the fifty objects that best “embody the history and culture” of the province.
Casting a wide net, from a pair of good-luck Nantucket Whaler shoes to a Mi-Carême seven-beast mask, Dawson unearths the many arcane and overlooked items whose stories collectively form Nova Scotia’s historical fabric. Entries are arranged in chronological order, from prehistory to present-day, and each one includes a photograph, description, and contextual history of the object. Written in an engaging, narrative style, A History of Nova Scotia in 50 Objects is both a fabulously unique approach to the province’s history and an interactive treasure hunt.
-
Butterflies Don’t Lie
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95Sixteen-year-old magazine quiz junkie Kelsey Sinclair wants to make this summer unforgettable by (hopefully) seducing her secret crush, Blaine Mulder. Armed with romance advice articles, Kelsey tackles true love with scientific precision, including getting a job at the seaside restaurant that overlooks the yacht club where Blaine teaches sailing.
However, visions of rendezvous on the beach are clouded when the new kitchen guy’s laid back attitude and smouldering stare quickly get under her skin. With his renegade demeanour and unpredictable stunts, Luke is the opposite to Blaine’s golden boy reputation. Determined to follow through with her original goal, Kelsey ignores her growing attraction to Luke, certain he’s not the guy for her. But when she finally manages to get Blaine’s attention, Kelsey worries the magazines are all wrong, and that sometimes the best matches are the ones you least expect.
-
Flight of the Griffons
Artist: Sydney SmithPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95In Flight of the Griffons, the sequel to The Dread Crew: Pirates of the Backwoods, we follow young Missy Bullseye as she ventures from her pirate crew’s adopted Nova Scotian home base to begin probationary work terms along the road to union-certified junking. From the deep northern woods of Ontario and Quebec to the great western prairies, Missy wanders far on a secret mission—one that turns her against her own.
While tracking and spying on a blacklisted crew, Missy encounters mechanical moths, an outlawed tilt-rotor airship, a mega-pipeline, and the unexpected sound of grassland drums. What she discovers along the way is that heroes can look like villains, crimes can look like profit, and heights aren’t so bad—as long as a true-hearted pirate is holding the rope. Includes 15 full-page illustrations from artist Sydney Smith.
-
Forever Bluenose pb
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Nova Scotia has always needed Bluenose as a symbol of a culture of enterprise and self-sufficiency, and as a monument to the heroic and often tragic Grand Banks fishing past. And so it was with great fanfare that on a misty September Saturday in 2012, the “restored” new hull of Bluenose II inched safely and slowly into a friendly Lunenburg harbour. As the water rose over the massive rolling platform that carried her down, she gradually came afloat for the first time, fair on her lines, high and proud. Nova Scotia now has a virtually new Bluenose, fashioned as closely to the genetic code of Bluenose II as possible, just as Bluenose II replicated the original, everywhere except below decks. Forever Bluenose charts the storied history of Nova Scotia’s famous schooner—its fishing and racing days in the early twentieth century, its rebirth, first as a promoter of beer and later as a tourist attraction, as the Bluenose II, and its careful restoration in the twenty-first century. Includes over 50 photographs of the restoration process as well as the vessel’s commercial and racing heyday.
-
Journeys Through Eastern Old-Growth Forests A narrative guide
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Yes, there is old-growth forest in the Maritimes. The Acadian Forest, as it is known, is a complex mosaic of various species and ages. Now left only in pockets scattered here and there, these forests will stop you in your tracks, invite your gaze upward, and fill you with wonder. This book begins with a collection of stories about journeys into these old forests, and ends with detailed profiles of 16 of the remaining pockets of old-growth forest in the Maritimes: nine in Nova Scotia, three in New Brunswick, and four in Prince Edward Island. Each site description includes notes on what a visitor can expect to see, and a map and directions showing how to get there. Over 75 colour photographs highlight the incredible beauty and diversity of the region’s forests.
-
Halifax Regional Municipality (new)
Photographer: Donna BarnettPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95In 1880, the final Boundary lines of Halifax County were drawn –from Ecum Secum west to Hubbards, and Dutch Settlement south to the seacoast, including the provincial capital of Halifax. More Than a century later these boundaries still exist, but rather than a county, the more than two hundred communities in the area now constitute a municipality: Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). In 1996, a massive amalgamation created this Nova Scotia “super-city” -5,250 square kilometer of fishing villages, urban centres, beaches, forests and farms. Brought together in the name of efficiency and the maximization of resources, these vibrant and varied communities retain their individual charm, making HRM both a wonderfully diverse place to live and a popular place to visit. People come from near and far year-round to experience HRM’s unique blend of hospitality, tradition, and modern know-how. As the original sites of settlement and most populous areas, Halifax and Dartmouth figure prominently in the regions history, but long before county lines were drawn this was the lad of the Mi’Kmaq. Here they camped along the shores of the harbour, hunted the inland woods and paddled the waterways.
-
Maritime Christmas Treasury
$29.95A collection of best-loved Maritime Christmas stories in one beautiful book for children. From the hilarious Gadzooks the Christmas Goose to the heartwarming A Christmas Dollhouse, each carefully selected story highlights another aspect of the Christmas season. Love, family, the natural world, and yes, even Christmas presents, are all celebrated in this gorgeous treasury.
Interspersed with the stories are classic poems and Christmas carols (including Bruce Nunn’s Bluenose version of “Twelve Days of Christmas”!), as well as beautiful and lively illustrations from a range of artists. A Maritime Christmas Treasury is sure to be cherished by Christmas lovers of all ages.
-
From Ben Loman to the Sea (HC)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95This is one of two unique books that delight both children and adults, combining the work of folk artist Maud Lewis with the poetry of Lance Woolaver. Each volume contains a narrative that complements the paintings; one follows the mail sleigh as it delivers Christmas packages; in the second, the reader sees through the eyes of a young man as he leaves his home, countryside, and town to go to sea.
Both titles are treasures, the first books to celebrate the life and work of Maud Lewis, Nova Scotia’s most prominent folk artist. Now brought to readers in a new format that enhances the beauty of the art of Maud Lewis.
-
Seasoned Recipes and Essays from The Spiceman, Costas Halavrezos
Artist: Joanna ClosePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95Indulge in a uniquely crafted culinary history and recipe guide as Halifax’s resident “Spiceman,” Costas Halavrezos, blends genres as expertly as he does spices and leads an educational and sensory exploration. With 30 essays and 50 accompanying recipes, Seasoned demystifies domestic and familiar spices, like cloves, fennel, and paprika, and introduces readers to a whole new world of flavour, including Kaffir lime leaves, Moroccan rosebuds, and Isot Kurdish black pepper—and that’s just a taste!
Featuring facts and anecdotes, storage and preparation methods, and recipes from Halavrezos’s personal collection paired with delightful illustrations by Joanna Close, Seasoned is a fabulous resource for foodies, home-chefs, and aspiring spice connoisseurs.
-
Saint John Facts and Folklore
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$14.95Saint John Facts and Folklore is filled with anecdotes about the city’s history, unbelievable incidents, and local sayings that showcase the unique identity of Saint John. With a focus on the city’s long history and spirited citizens, David Goss leads readers through the rowdy port city and centre of the nineteenth century lumber trade. The book is scattered with facts and stats that surprise and teach. The latest addition to the Facts and Folklore series, this entertaining and informative book is perfect for those wanting an alternative guide to Saint John and its sights. Includes 20 black and white photos of Saint John past and present.
-
Birchtown and the Black Loyalists
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95“Although diminished in numbers, Birchtown remains a proud symbol of the struggle by Blacks in the Maritimes and elsewhere for justice and dignity.” So says the plaque at Black Loyalist Heritage Park in Birchtown, commemorating the former Black slaves who fought with the British in the American Revolutionary War to gain their freedom in the form of a small plot of land near Shelburne, Nova Scotia.
In Birchtown and the Black Loyalists, Wanda Taylor recounts the incredible story of the Black Loyalists of Birchtown for young readers. With educational and accessible language, readers are introduced to the journey of Black American soldiers taken from Africa as slaves, their quest for freedom, the settlement and struggle of Black Loyalists on Nova Scotian soil, and the enduring spirit of their descendants in spite of a history marked by hardship and loss. Includes informative sidebars, highlighted glossary terms, recommended reading, historic timeline, an index, and dozens of historical and contemporary images.
-
Halifax in Watercolour The Paintings of Alexander Cavalié Mercer, 1838-1842
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95British Artillery officer Alexander Cavalié Mercer is most famous in history circles for his detailed account of his experiences leading up to and including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Fewer know him as an amateur artist, but Mercer often composed what he called “souvenirs,” paintings and sketches of his postings in Europe and North America. While posted in Halifax, Mercer painted nearly 80 watercolours of the area between 1838 and 1842.
Halifax and Watercolour showcases 50 of Mercer’s best sketches, including paintings of the Citadel, the Commons, Artillery Park, Bedford Basin, Dartmouth, and the Northwest Arm. Additional photographs, maps, and historical context from author Glenn Devanney help the reader situate the site of the painting in the present-day.
-
Grand-Pré Landscape for the World
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$15.95In 2012 the Landscape of Grand Pré, which includes the entire Grand Pré Marsh and portions of North Grand Pré, Hortonville, Grand Pré, and Lower Wolfville, was declared Nova Scotia’s third UNESCO World Heritage Site. This newest addition to the Stories of our Past series details the area’s physical and cultural evolution in an accessible, highly visual format.
Grand Pré explores the interrelationship of the peoples and landscape of Grand Pré, from the legacies of the dykelands to the record-breaking tides of the Minas Basin. With a focus on the resilient first peoples of Grand Pré—the Mi’kmaq and the Acadians—the book explores the implications of the Grand Dérangement, including the arrival of New England Planters, the twentieth-century Acadian Renaissance, and the creation of the “Land of Evangeline.” Includes informative sidebars and 50 colour photos.
-
-
dePictions Editorial Cartoons by Michael de Adder
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$21.95Award-winning editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder presents his favourite cartoons from the past six years. The over 100 colour cartoons included here run the gamut from national politics to regional affairs and international controversies. Includes a foreword from the Halifax Chronicle-Herald’s Bruce MacKinnon.
-
Scamps and Scoundrels True Stories of Maritime Lives and Legends
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95A miserly miller with a stash of gold, some sly smugglers who nevertheless remember to send a thank you note, a stern schoolmaster who couldn’t tell time, and a thief with two left feet are just some of the fascinating individuals who grace the pages of Scamps and Scoundrels. Riotous and witty, Bob Kroll writes these tales of historic hijinks in a delightfully folksy style, bringing to life snippets of the Maritimes’ less glorious past. With over a hundred tales from the 1700s to the 1900s, there is an example of just about every odd, peculiar, silly and ill-advised adventure you can think of. Scamps and Scoundrels gives readers a glimpse of the lives of smugglers, sailors, robbers, murderers, and sometimes just ordinary folk having a surprisingly bad day.
-
Failures and Fiascos
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Do you remember the invasion of Newfoundland’s hydroponic cucumber? How about New Brunswick’s ill-fated space-age sports car?In this dynamic collection, Dan Soucoup follows the money trail up the political ladder to deliver the dirt on the most devastating failed business ventures, political scandals, and industry fiascos in Atlantic Canadian history. Presented in concise, entertaining vignettes, Boondoggles exposes two centuries of debacles in regional, national, and international scope.Exposed is the downfall of many local industries including steel, coal mining, nuclear and hydro-power, oil, heavy-water, and even rum-running. Relive the tragic fall of Sydney Steel in Cape Breton, PEI’s flawed immigrant investor program, the controversial (and ongoing) Churchill Falls project in Newfoundland, New Brunswick’s doomed Chignecto Ship Railway, and plenty more. From the coal mines of Cape Breton to the dry docks of Esquimalt, rediscover the stories that made headlines and continue to baffle Atlantic Canadians today.Includes 40 historical and contemporary images.
-
King of Keji
Artist: Patsy MacKinnonPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Jacob’s brother, Ben, is always king of the castle. Jacob is tired of being the dirty rascal!
Jacob and his grandfather decide to set out on a camping trip to Nova Scotia’s Kejimkujik National Park. There, they find lots of hidden treasure fit for a king, like emeralds (the green of a hemlock’s foliage), amber (the eyes of a deer), and diamonds (in the sky).
Jacob even builds himself a crown, and it isn’t long before Gramps declares Jacob the King of Keji!
-
Algonquians, Hurons and Iroquois Champlain Explores America 1603-1616
Editor: Edward BournePublisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95“If we compare him with the other explorers and founders of that age he stands above them all in the range of achievement” –Edward Gaylord Bourne, Introduction As the first explorer to provide an accurate and detailed account of Nova Scotia and New England, Samuel de Chaplain is synonymous with early observations of North American Aboriginal peoples, interactions between New World inhabitants and European colonial powers, and the founding of New France. Chaplain’s meticulous and fascinating historical records of his seventeenth-century explorations continue to illuminate early life in North America, hundreds of years later.
-
Saint John
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95At the mouth of the St. John River sits New Brunswick’s largest city. Once a summer gathering place for the native Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), this beautiful spot on the Bay of Fundy was first settled by Europeans in the seventeenth century, and today people from all corners of the globe are drawn to the city of Saint John.
-
Dutch Oven 2nd edition
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95The town and county of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, has a tradition of hospitality that dates back over two centuries, when German settlers first arrived to carve a new life from the wilderness. Augmenting their farming produce with the abundant harvest from the sea, they developed a unique cuisine that combines longstanding traditions with contemporary ingredients and methods.
This wonderful collection of recipes from Lunenburg kitchens began as a fundraising project by the Ladies Auxiliary for the Fisherman’s Memorial Hospital and was first published in 1953. This new edition features an updated design and index of recipes for ease of use.
-
From Old Hollywood to New Brunswick Memories of a Wonderful Life
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$17.95Imagine receiving a mysterious invitation from Charlie Chaplin, doing jigsaw puzzles with Marilyn Monroe, having a heart-to-heart with Jack Kennedy, or being kissed by Greta Garbo. All of these and more are the sensational memories of UK-born, honorary Maritimer Charles Foster. After an unlikely childhood, his adventurous spirit brought him in 1943 to RAF pilot training school in Calgary. Through a series of incredible circumstances and fortunate friendships, Foster went on to become a Hollywood writer and publicist.Now writing from New Brunswick as a regular columnist for Senior’s Advocate, Foster shares his most tantalizing stories as a collection for the first time. With tales from the golden age of film, radio, theatre, and music, including international adventures from Moscow to Berlin and beyond, From Old Hollywood to New Brunswick shows just how far an RAF uniform, a little bit of luck, and whole lot of charm could take you in mid-twentieth century show business.Includes a 20-page insert of original photographs.
-
Baby Talk
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$8.95Baby Talk is the third book in the Baby Steps series. Each book in the series focuses on a key developmental stage in baby’s first year. Babies love to communicate with the ones they love. With its modern twist on classic nursery rhymes, Baby Talk gives families the opportunity to have fun with sounds and words that are the building blocks of early language. Baby Talk will encourage baby’s first words in a fun and playful way.
-
Sea Kayaking in Nova Scotia (3rd edition) A Guide to Paddling Routes Along the Coast
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95Nova Scotia has some of the most spectacular coastline on the continent. The sea kayak is ideal for exploring those isolated nooks and crannies, where few other vessels dare to venture. Each route includes departure points, trip lengths, and necessary charts and maps; of special note are the safety considerations and the detailed points of interest. With 48 routes spanning Nova Scotia from Briar Island to the Cape Breton Highlands, from Halifax to Pictou, and everywhere in between, this guide includes useful information for what gear to pack, safety concerns, and techniques to make your kayaking expedition as enjoyable as possible.
The new 3rd edition of Sea Kayaking in Nova Scotia includes new routes, new preface, updated maps and text, 3 eight-page colour inserts with photos, and many of the existing photos have been updated or replaced.
-
There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen (pb)
Artist: Sydney SmithPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Willa Wellowby’s house has been overrun by monkeys. They’re ballet dancing, playing the bagpipes, listening to the Beatles, and causing mayhem and destruction all over the house and yard. And the more Willa asks them to leave, the more havoc they wreak. She calls the police, the RCMP, the FBI, and Scotland Yard to get rid of these monkeys…but when the Mounties finally show up, it’s Willa who’s in trouble!
First published in 1992, There Were Monkeys in My Kitchen won the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Mr. Christie Award for Best Canadian Children’s book, ages 8 and under. This new softcover edition will introduce the bestselling book to a whole new generation.
-
Exotiques Îles De La Madeleine Ever Exotic
Photographer: George FischerPublisher: Nimbus Publishing$29.95The inexhaustible affection lavished on Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine is the envy of many tourist destinations. First-time visitors are pleasantly surprised and totally enchanted by the discovery of an archipelago that is as exotic as it is bucolic. With its local island delicacies, beaches of fine sand that stretch forever, a quality of light that is typical of open-sea islands, and countless other charms, the Québec archipelago casts a spell that is irresistible.Photographer George Fischer is a habitual and prolific visitor whose capacity to amaze never wanes. The exotic Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine includes over 200 colourful and spectacular images.
-
Buried Secrets at Louisbourg
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$12.95Fred has had a rough summer. His secret crush on Mai is going strong, his mother has barely recovered from a battle with cancer, and his unreliable father’s diving business has gone completely underwater.
Now Fred, Mai, and Grace, extraordinary fossil hunters, are at the Fortress of Louisbourg hunting a different kind of treasure. They are secretly excavating the historic site, trying to find a mass of jewels Fred’s ancestor may have buried there—jewels that could save Fred’s family.
But Fred uncovers far more than he bargained for, including a dangerous plot that could leave Fred’s family in even more serious trouble.
The young detectives from the bestselling The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines shine in this fast-paced mystery for middle readers.
-
Singily Skipping Along
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$19.95Kidlit heavyweight Sheree Fitch of River John and world-renowned rug hooking artist Deanne Fitzpatrick of Amherst have teamed up to create a kids’ book about body movement called Singily Skipping Along .Fitzpatrick’s rugs are on sale in an online auction (singilyskipping.ca) with all proceeds going toward L’Arche Atlantic, which is dedicated to homes, programs and support networks for people who have intellectual disabilities.“I didn’t want those rugs to get sold off one by one. I wanted something special to happen to them,” says Fitzpatrick.The rugs, each 38 centimetres by 38 centimetres, are “about being in the moment, about play.”
-
Acadia University
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Acadia 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
-
Fire Spook
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$22.95Graham, with a journalistic, fact-collecting approach, painstakingly tries to piece together what happened when mysterious fires and other mischief drove a respectable family from its home near Caledonia Mills, close by the Antigonish-Guysborough county line in 1922. It is a story that exists in countless versions and under names ranging from Mary Ellen Spook, to the Caledonia Mills Spook, the Bochdan of Caledonia Mills to simply, Spook Farm. It is also a story that has come down through the generations, told in Gaelic and in English, in country farmhouses, public meeting rooms and university residences for almost a century.Graham is at her best in introducing Alec MacDonald, his wife Janet Cameron and their adopted daughter Mary Ellen MacDonald whose father was killed by a falling box of coal in the Drummond Colliery in Westville. Alec and Janet had a connection to the family, and as was often done in those days, they took one of the four children into their care. The MacDonalds were plagued, to a degree that can no longer be substantiated; by nuisance occurrences such as cows loosened from their stanchions and household items disappearing but in 1922 they were subjected to mysterious, relentless fires that ultimately drove them from their home.Graham documents the MacDonalds’ lives after they left the farm and examines the various theories put forth to explain the forces that so disrupted them. Some of the theories, she acknowledges, are as equally unlikely as evil spirits at work but it is interesting to see how investigators formulated their theories by relying heavily on certain pieces of evidence or personal accounts while discounting others.
