Three battles that shook the British Isles and changed the course of world history. Three renowned experts each take up one crucial day when the future of the throne, or Europe itself, hung in the balance.

Hastings 1066

In 1066, a foreign invader won the throne of England in a single battle and changed not only the history of the British Isl …

At thirteen, bookish Veronica Reid lives in a world inside her head, even if she isn’t entirely successful at resisting the intrusions of the world outside. It’s bad enough that she has to wear awful new glasses; it’s downright disastrous that she’ll have to spend the summer at Laughing Willows Trailer Park with her obnoxious younger brothe …

Carroll Aikins’s play The God of Gods (1919) has been out of print since its first and only edition in 1927. This critical edition not only revives the work for readers and scholars alike, it also provides historical context for Aikins’s often overlooked contributions to theatre in the 1920s and presents research on the different staging techni …

Sous la Lune de Corbeau est un récit enchanteur qui raconte la création de grand-mère Lune et la façon dont elle a exercé son pouvoir sur un jeune couple qui ne se doutait de rien. L’histoire se déroule sur le territoire du peuple Kwakwaka’wakw, aussi connu de nos jours sous le nom de passage de l’Intérieur, en Colombie-Britannique. Câ …

There are as many Creation stories as there are First Nations on Turtle Island. The story of a Great Flood is known to indigenous people in every corner of the world. But what about the Moon? Who made her? What was her intended purpose? Beneath Raven Moon is an enchanting tale of the creation of Grandmother Moon and of the first time she wove her s …

I am often asked how a person comes to know their totem. When I am, I answer by asking this question: "If at night, before you close your eyes to travel to your dream time, if then you picture one of your wild cousins to whom you might ask guidance or give thanks, what would it be?" More often than not, your totem will be there, right before your e …

Bartleby the Scrivener meets Catch-22 in this charmingly sardonic tale of love, war and fertilizer.

WINNER OF THE PRIX DES COLLAGIENS

Simon turned his thoughts to her daily. There were few enough
of them, but each one lingered. He imagined their life together.
Sometimes even their children’s lives. Sometimes he set his fantasies in Spain, sometim …

A century after the beginning of the Great War, the contributions of the Maritimes to the formation of the Canadian Expeditionary force remain relatively unexplored. Till the Boys Come Home examines the conduct of the war through the eyes of one particular agricultural and coal-mining community.

As the clouds of war gathered across the Atlantic, the …

This much-loved Hans Christian Andersen classic is repopulated with a cast of penguins, and the Emperor is the best dressed of them all. When two scoundrels convince him that they can make him a suit of magic cloth, it’s not just the Emperor’s vanity that is showing when he wears it in the grand parade for all to see! Recommended reading ages 4 …

A View from the Porch is an illuminating collection of 22 essays about the points where design touches life and the big and small things that make us appreciate, or become disconnected from, our homes and neighbourhoods.

Drawing on his experiences as an architect, planner, world traveller, and educator, Friedman delves into issues such as the North …

The New Land is the story of a 19th-century European immigrant family’s first year of homesteading on the prairie. Mother, Father, John and little Annie travel across the Atlantic by steamship and then the country by train and ox cart to the prairies where they build a sod house and prepare for their first winter. In the Spring, they plant their …

Everyone loves going to the annual fall fair. There are clowns, farm animals, sticky cotton candy and antique tractors on display. Erin can't wait to meet up with her friends at the fair grounds. And, if she's lucky, she may even win a prize ribbon for her giant pumpkin! Going to the Fair is a picture book invitation to visit the annual fall fair a …

From the era of wooden sailing ships and Europe’s golden age of exploration, the story of famed British navigator Henry Hudson tells a classic tale of courage, ambition, and treachery on the high seas. As the leader of four Arctic voyages in 1607, 1608, 1609, and 1610, Hudson searched in vain for a navigable route through the polar ice that would …

Mothers, Mothering and Motherhood across Cultural Differences, the first-ever Reader on the subject matter, examines the meaning and practice of mothering/ motherhood from a multitude of maternal perspectives. The Reader includes 22 chapters on the following maternal identities: Aboriginal, Adoptive, At-Home, Birth, Black, Disabled, East-Asian, Fem …

When Adam Murphy learns that his late, revered grandfather, David McLean, hid a huge stash of foreign cash and fake passports in the family’s cottage, he is stunned. Was Grandpa really a traitor, as some of the evidence suggests? And why was a loaded Walther PPK pistol hidden at the cottage? Determined to prove his grandfather’s innocence, Adam …

Rennie is in Uruguay when his cousins discover a secret cache at their dead grandfather’s cottage. Thousands of dollars in foreign currencies. A mystifying notebook. Multiple passports, some obviously fake. A gun. A disguise. And a photo of some Nazis. Rennie’s mission: to find out whether there was more to the old man than anyone knew. Was he …

Winner of the 2015 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize
A Globe and Mail top 100 pick for 2014
Winner of a 2015 Independent Publisher Book Award Bronze Medal

Twelve short stories that examine what happens in the lives of characters who discover shocking truths about the people they thought they knew best.

Whether set in a cottage or a Montreal market, …

A real fish tale! When "the big one" gets away, Amy figures the day is ruined. Or is it? Set on Canada's west coast, A Morning to Polish and Keep is a story of adventure, family interaction and the lasting comfort of memory.

Beautifully Illustrated by Sheena Lott.

Recommended reading ages: 4-10

Sam’s sister, accompanied by their father, is in a hospital far away from their home on a remote island off the West Coast. Determined to be with his family for Christmas, Sam catches a ride on a Santa Boat, a vessel that will bring Santa Claus and gifts to the children all along the coast before delivering Sam at last to the hospital.

Recommended …

Based on a traditional Japanese folktale, The Magic Ear is a timeless story of true nobility and the importance of respect for all life, however humble. Recommended reading ages: 4-10

It’s bedtime, but sleep will not come to Tabitha. The bed is cozy. The room is dark and quiet. Her favourite things surround her. She should be able to go to sleep, but something is missing. What can it be? As she lies waiting, the animals call to her. Will the whale lull her to sleep? Can the eagle carry her to dreamland? Or the horse? The frog? …

"May you live in interesting times." So goes the ancient Chinese curse. In Quebec, we are always living in "interesting" times. Where else in Canada, perhaps even the world, do you have official language police that patrol the highways and byways of the province looking for missing accents, illegal apostrophes and on/off switches in the wrong langu …

A mysterious letter has reached retired FBI agent Frank Malloy. A letter bearing a name from a lifetime ago, from a woman who claims she saw what really happened on the day John F. Kennedy died in Dallas. Many were there to film the president, but Helena Storozhenko snapped a photo on November 22, 1963, that would have changed everything. Then she …

Dylan and his friends attract the attention of the police when a summer bonfire gets out of control.

Dylan almost loses a job opportunity at a local inn because of his antics, but he is saved by the lies of Heather, an employee of the inn. When he is caught on camera stealing towels from a summer cottage after a skinny-dipping prank, Dylan and his f …

Throughout the day, April daydreams her way to her favorite place in search of elusive moonsnails. A rhythmic text and Sheena Lott’s beautiful watercolors make it easy for readers to follow April into a world of misty morning fogs, sea stars, sand dollars and sideways scuttling crabs. Readers will discover hermit crabs, tidepool sculpin, sea urch …

In a joyful celebration of both the mountains and winter, a young girl recounts and anticipates a memorable family holiday. Recommended reading ages: 4-8

An original folk tale set in old Japan; The Fox’s Kettle celebrates the triumph of a brave and gentle heart over the forces of cunning and trickery. Recommended reading ages: 4-10

In this Anansi Digital Publication, James Laxer takes the pulse of America from the vantage point of Southern California at a time when the United States is riven with debates about immigration, guns, and how to tackle the economic crisis.

From his perch in a little cottage in wealthy La Jolla on the outskirts of San Diego, Laxer talked to local peo …

Jessie lives with her parents on a farm a long way from anywhere. There are no other people for miles around. Often, she is lonely. More than anything, Jessie wants a dog; a friend who will play with her, come running when she calls and sleep with its head on her lap. Her mother and father can’t see any need for a dog on a wheat farm. Besides, th …

People often recognize that their drinking is causing problems in their lives long before they are ready to seek help. Knowing that there is a problem can be a good first step to cutting back or quitting drinking, but it can be hard to know what further steps to take to make changes and stick to them.

Saying When presents a step-by-step program to h …

p>Un grand nombre de personnes savent que leur consommation d’alcool est problématique bien avant d’être prêtes à demander de l’aide. Cette reconnaissance du problème peut être une première étape importante en vue d’arrêter de boire ou de réduire sa consommation d’alcool. Toutefois, il est parfois difficile de déterminer les au …

Waiting for the Whales illuminates the unique friendship between grandparent and child and celebrates the restorative power of the natural world.

An old man lives alone on a bluff overlooking the sea, tends his garden and waits. Only when the whales return each year to the bay in front of his cottage is his loneliness eased. Until, one day, an unexp …

Some days, it doesn't pay to be a lapsed pretend Buddhist . . . particularly when you're charged with a lengthy list of war crimes. Vida Zankovic has done many things to stay alive. A wily young man caught in the insanity of the Balkan wars, Vida has dealt drugs, been forced to join the army, and then deserted when he tried to save a young boy trap …

Set on the prairies during the twenties, Belle's Journey is a moving story of steadfast devotion and a heroic fight for survival. Reading ages 4-10. This 20th anniversary eBook edition features beautifully enhanced colour illustrations.

This study marks a major step in making collaboration between seniors, academic researchers, and community researchers a reality. Many aging adults are motivated to undertake research projects in later life or even return to university after retirement. Grey Matters is the result of a pilot project developed to study the effectiveness of collaborat …

An Ottawa Citizen Notable Book for 2012

When Jack Layton died unexpectedly in the summer of 2011, millions of people mourned the loss of a man who had emerged as a much-loved political leader. They saw him as someone who combined values they shared with a personal style they admired.

In this book, co-editors James L. Turk and Charis Wahl have gathere …

Each summer, twins Florent and Florence spend their vacation at the cottage, along a lake with their uncle Roland. The cottage -- really a small farm, is where Uncle Roland trains animals for movies and tv shows. Last year he trained rabbits for a chocolate commercial. This year, Alfred the jolly turkey is the star of the movie Intergalactic Turkey …

On January 22, 2005, Inuit from communities throughout northern and central Labrador gathered in a school gymnasium to witness the signing of the Labrador Inuit Land Claim Agreement and to celebrate the long-awaited creation of their own regional self-government of Nunatsiavut. This historic agreement defined the Labrador Inuit settlement area, ben …

When we think of wild animals, we don't immediately associate them with the cities we live in. But a closer look soon reveals that we share our urban environment with a great many untamed creatures. Heavily illustrated and full of entertaining and informative facts, City Critters examines how and why so many wild animals choose to live in places th …

John R. Jewitt's story of being captured and enslaved by Maquinna, the great chief of the Mowachaht people, is both an adventure tale of survival and an unusual perspective on the First Nations of the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

On March 22, 1803, while anchored in Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, the Boston was attacked …

The Green Chain looks at the past, present and future of forestry through interviews with environmentalists, loggers, scientists and others. Raw log exports, environmental devastation, making a living . . . all are discussed in this exploration of the problems facing our forests, and the possible solutions.

It's an emotional topic, especially in Bri …

The sparsely populated southern Interior of British Columbia was rich in resources and ripe for settlement in the late 1800s. The agricultural lands of the Okanagan and Nicola valleys, and the precious metals and coal of the Kootenays, lay largely unused or undiscovered: the challenge was getting to these places.

Transportation was the key that ope …

Technically it was a minor league, but for hockey fans west of the Mississippi, the Western Hockey League provided major-league entertainment for over 25 years.

The WHL was a determined and ambitious professional league, with some 22 teams based in major American and Canadian cities. Known as the Pacific Coast Hockey League prior to 1952, the WHL a …

On January 22, 1906, the passenger ship Valencia lost her way in heavy fog and rain and rammed into the deadly rocks at Pachena Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island. As the wreck was shattered by the pounding waves, the survivors clung desperately to the rigging. Few made it the short distance to shore through the frigid and turbulent wavesâ …

Rich in stories, the Crowsnest Pass region in the southern Rocky Mountains still bears evidence of its tragedies, and one monumental triumph—a railroad rammed through the pass in 18 months. Hailed as the greatest project in the Dominion, the Crow's Nest Pass Railway was built by men who toiled with horses and primitive tools to carve the way for …

Remarkable cattle drives, famous ranches and legendary characters are at the heart of Ken Mather's account of the early days of ranching in British Columbia. These are stories about drovers, ranchers, cowboys and "mud pups" (the remittance men of the ranching industry). You'll meet such people as:

• the flamboyant Harper brothers, drovers who went …

Winner of the 2009 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour

The cops wanted to shoot me, my bosses thought I was a Bolshevik, and a local lawyer warned me that some people I was writing about might try to test the strength of my skull with a steel pipe. What more could any young reporter hope for from his first real job?

The night Mark Leiren-Young drove …

A lively book illustrated with archival photos, Secrets of Lake Simcoe is a valuable addition to local history collections and provides a refreshing way for anyone to view what some consider to be Canada's sixth Great Lake.

At the heart of central Ontario, Lake Simcoe has played an important role in the province's history for hundreds of years. Toda …

In the early hours of April 22, 1914, American President Woodrow Wilson sent Marines to seize the port of Veracruz in an attempt to alter the course of the Mexican Revolution. As a result, the United States seemed on the brink of war with Mexico. An international uproar ensued. The governments of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile offered to mediate a pe …

Shelley arrives at her aunt and uncle's cottage on Grey Rocks Lake and is excited to see her cousin Kyle. Her excitement quickly turns to disappointed when she discovers Kyle's friend Marcus is staying at the cottage too. Shelley feels left out of the boys' games. Then the fossil she found at the beach goes missing, and she thinks Marcus took it. B …