Embedded on the Home Front
Publisher: Heritage Group Distribution$19.95Home front. It’s hard to separate that expression from war. In the First and Second World Wars, the home front was a clear entity and location: if you weren’t on the frontlines, you were on the home front. But during current times of peacekeeping, peacemaking and armed interventions, the notion of home front seems to comprise only those who are in some way directly affected by the military: family and friends of soldiers, returning soldiers or ex-soldiers—an invisible group camouflaged by everyday jobs and activities.
Editors Barb Howard and Joan Dixon have compiled insightful essays and reflections from 14 writers, including Melanie Murray, Scott Waters, Ryan Flavelle and Chris Turner. All have found themselves, at one time or another, embedded on the home front. And even though each experience is unique and comes from a single perspective, common motifs surface: family, fate, death and memory. This anthology captures triumphs, incredible fortitude and humour, often in the face of grief, as well as the complicated logic, fears, anger and other everyday realities that are part of home-front life.
The Fisher Queen
Publisher: Heritage Group Distribution$17.95It’s 1981, and Sylvia Taylor has signed on as rookie deckhand on a wallowy 40-foot salmon troller. Looking forward to making money for university, she is determined to master the ins and outs of fishing some of the most dangerous waters in the world: the Graveyard of the Pacific. For four months, she helps navigate the waters off northern Vancouver Island, learning the ways of fisherfolk and the habitat in which they breathe, sleep and survive.
The politics of selling fish, the basics of tying gear, near-death experiences, endless boat troubles, the emotional perils of sharing cramped quarters—all are part of a steep and unforgiving learning curve. Taylor’s story captures the reality of life on a fishboat and documents the end of an era, a time when the fishing industry wasn’t yet marred by unchecked overfishing or hyper-regulation. Her lyrical, simple prose explores the tight-knit relationship of fishers with the west coast’s wild, untamed waters. Her memoir bursts with all the humour and hell, peace and upheaval that is the Pacific Ocean.
Chilcotin Yarns
Publisher: Heritage Group Distribution$17.95Getting three trucks and two horses stuck in the mud on “a good road” into BC’s wild, remote interior was just the start of Bruce Watt’s Chilcotin adventures—and it was his honeymoon, too. The wildlife, landscape and quirky, down-to-earth people captivated Bruce, and despite the hard work and challenging conditions, the Watts put down roots, raising a family, alongside herds of cattle and horses.
A consummate storyteller, Bruce tells it like it was—and perhaps still is for many people calling this place home. These yarns capture the adventure and humour of running a ranch—from roping cougars to close calls on cliff edges and other “typical” accidents. His stories of chasing horses, navigating the backcountry and getting five kids off to school have a charm all their own.
Becoming Water: Glaciers in a Warming World
Publisher: Heritage Group Distribution$16.95Becoming Water takes the reader on a tour of Canada’s glaciers, describing the stories they tell and educating the reader about how glaciers came to be, how they work and what their future holds in our warming world. By visiting Canada’s high and low Arctic and the mountain West, the reader will learn how varied and complex our glaciers really are, how they are measured and how they figure into the national and global story of inevitable change. The reader will learn to think like a scientist, in particular how to look at climate-related data that contains cycles, trends and shifts, and then ponder what questions to ask in the face of our dramatically changing environment.
Little Black Lies
Publisher: Heritage Group Distribution$16.95Beginning in 1967 and for just over 30 years, the oil industry toiled in the relative obscurity of Northern Alberta as machines peeled away earth and boreal forest to exhume what has now become one of humanity’s most precious and contentious resources: bitumen. As the years passed, the bitumen mines sprawled, poisonous tailings ponds spread, toxins polluted the environment, cancer reared its head downstream and the price of petroleum soared beyond all expectations.
As plans continue to build the Keystone and Northern Gateway pipelines, a growing number of scientists, journalists, First Nations and environmentalists are fighting to raise the alarm about the implications and propaganda surrounding the world’s largest energy project.
In his second RMB Manifesto, Jeff Gailus dissects the global war on truth that has come to define the battle for oil. It is a battle fought not with bullets and bombs but with a dark web of Little Black Lies that poses a threat not only to environmental and human health, but to our moral and social well-being.
Moving to Nova Scotia
$25.00The world loves Canada, everyone knows it. But, Nova Scotia in particular has its own allure to people looking to move not only across the country, but across the world. These are just a few of the stories from people who packed up, and did not stop until they found their home in Nova Scotia.
Premier Steven McNeil
$19.95The McNeils and Mombourquettes established a joint heritage that began in Cape Breton, then to Spryfield and continues in Upper Granville, in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
Stephen, our present Premier and the twelfth of seventeen siblings, was a mere eight years old when his father died suddenly. It thrust the family, led by his mother, into some challenging yet rewarding times. Older brothers and sisters took on new roles and created a bond that continues to this day.
Downhomer Almanac Cookbook 1
Editor: Downhome MagazinePublisher: Downhomer$19.95The Downhomer Household Almanac and Cookbook is the first of its kind. There have been almanacs before, and there have been cookbooks before, and this is not the first cookbook to have home remedies and cures, nor is it the first with household hints. There have been books containing humour, heart-touching stories, thoughts to live by, and even books in which to keep track of your family tree, but this is the first book that incorporates all of these. Not only that, this book also contains calendars covering the 1801 to 2050, cooking conversion tables, metric conversion tables, places to keep important dates, photographs, a place to write a biography of yourself, dedications, and much, much more. It is a wealth of information and a place to keep records to be handed down through the generations. This book is a must for people whose family and roots are near and dear to them, and contains a place to keep track of your future family tree (your children and grandchildren). On top of that, the beautiful writings, stories and poems in this book will make you laugh and make you cry. Downhomer Household Almanac and Cookbook is one of the most interesting books you will ever read.
Tonic for the Woman’s Soul
Publisher: Downhomer$19.95Tonic for the Woman’s Soul is the third in Downhome’s Household Almanac and Cookbook series, the previous two making the Canadian best-seller list.
What’s new in Tonic for the Woman’s Soul
- Understanding Me – Create your own autobiography by simply filling in the blanks—a record of a woman’s life for herself or for those with whom she wishes to share.
- Life, Love & Laughter – Short stories, jokes, biographies, poetry, facts and much more, all pertaining to women from Newfoundland and Labrador and throughout the world. After all, the best recipe for happiness is to “live, love and laugh.”
- Recipes – More than 250 recipes contributed by Downhomer readers around the world. Included are Diet and Diabetic recipes with delicious choices for those of us who have to watch a little closer what we eat.
Atlantic Puffin
The Atlantic Puffin is a familiar symbol of the Atlantic region, earning it the nickname “Little Brother of the North.” This wonderful story is told from the point of view of a puffin, drawing the reader effortlessly into the natural habitat of a puffin’s world. Accompanied with beautiful illustrations, Atlantic Puffin details habitat, breeding cycles, eating and nesting habits, and more, about the life of this fascinating animal. Artistically rendered, carefully researched, this latest installment from the popular writing and illustrating team of Kristin and Jeff Domm will delight any child or adult who seeks to learn more about the treasured Atlantic Puffin.
The Craft of Sail
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$17.95We are pleased to bring this book back into print, as it focuses on why and how sailing “works.” It’s an excellent guide to understanding boats and how the wind and water affect them. Author/illustrator Jan is an “explainer”… and this book does just that.
You’ll see drawings of different types of boats and understand what makes a schooner a schooner, a catboat a catboat, a yawl a yawl… and more. He uses ants and peanuts to explain vectors. How can you miss-out on ants and peanuts? And yes, the book gives you the basics of sail maneuvers.
Rowable Classics
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$32.95Darryl J. Strickler tarted building boats and sculling at the age of 12 and still is rowing more than 50 years later-always in wooden boats propelled by wooden oars.
Boat Modeling with Dynamite Payson
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$24.15Step-by-step instruction, illustrated, beginning with the basics and working toward advanced hull shapes and techniques by a gentleman who knows his stuff.
Boat Modeling the Easy Way
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$21.95A fitting sequel to his popular Boat Modeling. Build nine models using the lift method: a tugboat, an English cutter, a lobsterboat, sardine carriers, a fishing schooner, a torpedo-stern launch, a Friendship sloop, and a day cruiser.
Iain Oughtred
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$32.95Britain’s wooden boat revival was a long time coming, but when it arrived there was one name that stood out above all others: Iain Oughtred. A former dinghy racer turned boatbuilder and designer, Iain developed a cult following both for the beauty of his designs and the quality of his drawings. Challenging the view that building boats was the province of the wealthy, he created exceptionally appealing yet inexpensive wooden boats ideal for amateur construction, often basing the designs on traditional local craft. Still going strong, his designs now number more than 100 and are built around the world by amateurs and professionals alike.
This beautiful and comprehensive book traces the life of this most enigmatic of designers, from his roots in Australia to the wilds of Scotland. His most popular designs are brought to life with gorgeous photography, often set I the stunning Scottish landscape where he is based, and supplemented with an extensive plans section. Including interviews with family, friends and fellow designers, the evocative text provides both a moving personal biography and a comprehensive overview of one extraordinary man’s life work.
Building Small Boats
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$43.95Greg Rossel grew up cruising the waters of New York Harbor and spending time in the boatyards on the south shore of Staten Island where economics (more than anything else) made wooden boats the craft of choice. He makes his home in Maine where he specializes in the construction and repair of small wooden boats, as well as writing for several publications. Greg has been an instructor at WoodenBoat School in Maine since the mid-1980’s, teaching lofting, skiff building, and the “Fundamentals of Boatbuilding”.
Lofting
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$21.95Allan Vaitses is an able and versatile builder, having a marvelous ability to devise solutions for the dilemmas that arise in boatbuilding.
Canoe Rig
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$38.45Author/illustrator Todd Bradshaw was born in Waterloo, Iowa. He and his wife, Marite, make their home in Madison, Wisconsin, where Todd builds sails for a living under his shingle Addiction Sailmakers. Addiction was the name of his wooden Star-class sloop. She was rescued from oblivion, fully restored and then struck by lighten. For fun Todd rebuilds old boats, and designs new ones. His background in art and music, as well as having owned backpacking and canoeing businesses, are just some of the puzzle pieces that have converged to create this book.
Boatbuilding Down East
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$38.45The Maine lobsterboat is known and admired all over the country. This is a book on how to build one of these beautiful boats from start to finish. Over the years, many hundreds of these craft have been built so hat the methods of construction details have been worked out and refined to an unusual degree. For their size, these lobseterboats withstand some of the harshest possible use, as most of them fish all winter off the stormy coast of Maine. Such a boat has to be good to survive.
There are differences in the boats from one part of the coast to another, and from one boat to another within an area. But the boats from Beals Island and Jonesport have always been highly regarded, especially for their graceful good looks and high speed. The late Will Frost’s boats were always advanced for their day, and it was not at all strange that during Prohibition his shops on Beals Island and Jonesport were engaged to build some fast, high-powered rumrunners. His influence has much to so with the modern Maine lobsterboat as we know it today.
Not a little of Will Frost’s thinking about lobsterboats was passed on to his grandson Royal Lowell, the author of this book.
Line:Tying it Up, Tying it Down
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$14.95Jan Lee Adkins was born on the Ohio River in West Virginia and raised in Wheeling. He studied architecture at Ohio State University and apprenticed as a designer for several years. He shifted his major to literature and creative writing and graduated, after more than eight years of university, with a plain BA.
How to Build the Ocean Pointer
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$19.75David Stimson grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and learned boatbuilding while working in the local boatyards. During this time, he developed an eye for boat design from Merton Long, a retired catboat builder who became his friend and mentor. David’s love of traditional boats was further inspired by the writings of John Gardner and Pete Culler in the 1970’s and by WoodenBoat Magazine. He now lives in Boothbay, Maine, with his wife, Tamora and two teenage boys, Abraham and Nathaniel. He is a sailing charter captain during the summer, and designs and builds boats at Stimson Marine, Inc. in Boothbay.
How to Build the Gloucester Light Dory
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$10.95A shop manual on building an exceptional rowing dory. Designe by Philip Bolger, this dory is fast, seaworthy and a delight to row. Simple plywood cosntruction.
How to Build the Haven 12-1/2 Footer
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$16.50Step-by-step boatbuilding in the Herreshoff tradition.
This is Joel White’s keel/centerboard variation of the famous Herreshoff 12 1/2. Each step in this unique process is carefully explained and illustrated. This book, in combination with detailed construction plans, provides a thorough guide for advanced amateurs. No lofting is required.
Building the Nutshell Pram
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$10.95A step-by-step construction manual for this very popular Joel White design, for oar and sail. Part of the popularity is due to the ease of construction, especially the bow. This instruction book is beneficial for anyone who wishes to build the pram from scratch using WoodenBoat’s full-scale plans.
We also have full-sized pre-cut kits, a video, a model kit and building plans.
Thirty Wooden Boats A Second Catalog of Building Plans
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$14.25Cynthis Curtis, Mike O’Brien, and Paul Lazarus have endeavored to provide readers with as much information as possible while maintaining an open and strongly visual format.
Fifty Wooden Boats A Catalog of Building Plans
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$15.95This is the first of three major catalogues compiled by the editors of WoodenBoat Magazine. The other books in this series are ‘Thirty Wooden Boats’ and ‘Forty Wooden Boats’.
Keeping the Cutting Edge Setting and Sharpening Hand and Power Saws
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$10.95Harold H. “Dynamite” Payson is a professional boatbuilder who specializes in light plywood construction, though in the past he build traditional plank-on-frame craft. Most of his boats-among them the famed Gloucester Light Dory and the Instant Boat series-are from the board of Philip C. Bolger. Many of the prototypes of Bolger’s small boats have been built by Payson as part of their continuing association. Dynamite is a retired lobster fisherman, a saw sharpener, and the proprietor of H.H.Payson & Co., which offers boatbuilding plans for sale to the average boatbuilder. He is the author of Instant Boats, How to Build the Gloucester Light Dory, Go Build Your Own Boat!, Build the New Instant Boats, and a number of magazine articles. He lives and works in South Thomaston, Maine.
Forty Wooden Boats A Third Catalog of Building Plans
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$14.25This is the third major catalog of boat plans compiled by Cynthia Curtis, Doug Hylan and Mike O’Brien. Other books are ‘Fifty Wooden Boats’ and ‘Thirty Wooden Boats’.
Featherweight Boatbuilding
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$21.95Using the Wee Lassie as an example, the author opens your eyes to the natural beauty around you. A practical and beautiful craft, this lightweight and strong double-paddle canoe will carry you to waterways that are inaccessible in most boats.
The Dory Model Book
Publisher: WoodenBoat Books$21.95Three traditional Down East boats are featured: a Banks dory, a Friendship Dory, and a Friendship dory skiff. All are based on authentic boats and built with the same care as a full-size boat.
Noble Newfoundland Dog
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing$24.95This is a wonderful look at the history of this popular and well-recognized dog. Hynes begins his book with a history of the breed and moves on to stories about Newfoundland dogs past and present. These tales make up the bulk of the book, and are generally short, illustrating the traits we associate with the breed: Loyalty, bravery, intelligence and gentleness. The stories are grouped by type – rescues, proof of intelligence, acts of kindness, and so on. There are tales of dogs performing heroic sea rescues, catching fish with remarkable skill, acting as dependable hunting partners, and caring for children. One hilarious chapter is devoted to the Newfoundland’s subtle sense of humour. Hynes recounts anecdotes himself, but he also quotes historical text extensively, letting past Newfoundland owners talk about their dogs in their own words.
The last section of the book deals with the care and training of Newfoundland dogs. Hynes is thorough and honest in his advice – caring for a 150 pound dog requires diligence and devotion. This book is devoted to Newfoundland dogs: heroes, artful dodgers, escape artists, and best friends.
Women at Sea in the Age of Sail
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many women experienced firsthand the perils and pleasures of life at sea. These venturesome women went to sea largely to be with their captain husbands and many proved themselves useful far beyond their roles as companions. Luckily for us, many of these seafaring women kept journals. Here, these women recount, in their own words, their impressions of the exotic places they visited, the homes they made and the children they raised afloat on the seas.
Donal Baird has published various articles and books on his passions, sailing and firefighting.
