Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw, Travels in Search of Canada  •  Will Ferguson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES In these loosely connected travel essays, Ferguson (Why I Hate Canadians) writes of odd, amusing and characteristic touchstones of Canadian history from the west coast, across the prairies to Churchill and its famous polar bears and onto Viking ruins at L'Anse aux Meadows. In the opening chapters he skewers Victoria and its British pretensions, life in the remote north of Alberta, and the titular town of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, where he reluctantly visits a health spa. (CND236, $14.95)
The Big Year, A Tale Of Man, Nature, And Fowl Obsession  •  Mark Obmascik NATURAL HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES Obmascik, himself an over-the-edge birder, recounts with glee and page-turning detail the race to see the most birds in North America in a year, a quest that has his three competitors on the road at a moments notice, heading out in the middle of the night, and combing the beaches. As he so winningly demonstrates, these people are driven. (BRD29, $14.00)
The Birdwatcher's Companion to North American Birdlife  •  Christopher W. Leahy  •  Gordon Morrison NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 1072 PAGES A handsome, fully illustrated survey of the birds of North America, organized A to Z, covering birds, bird biology, conservation and birdwatching. Published in cooperation with the American Birding Association. (NAM21, $19.95)
Canada: A People's History, Volume 1  •  Don Gillmor  •  Pierre Turgeon HISTORY •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES An illustrated history of Canada from a distinctly Canadian perspective, soliciting expert accounts of seminal events. This, the first of two volumes, covers from early exploration to the dawn of the industrial age in the late 19th century. Volume 2 is also available (CND161). (CND160, $60.00)
Canada: A People's History, Volume 2  •  Don Gillmor  •  Pierre Turgeon HISTORY •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES An illustrated history of Canada from a distinctly Canadian perspective, soliciting expert accounts of seminal events. This, the second of two volumes, covers from the late 19th century to today. Volume 1 is also available (CND160). (CND161, $60.00)
Eyewitness Top Ten Toronto  •  DK Publishing GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES A compact, illustrated guide in the popular series, featuring favorite attractions in Toronto. (CND212, $12.00)
Fifth Business  •  Robertson Davies LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 266 PAGES If you have yet to stumble across Robertson Davies, you're in for a treat. The great man of Canadian letters wrote a slew of novels, many set in rural Ontario and Toronto. His books are laugh-out-loud funny, filled with memorable characters and dazzling prose. This novel, his first -- and some say his best -- is as good a place as any to begin. (USW42, $14.00)
Frommer's Ottawa  •  James Hale GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A practical travel guide to Canada's capital city featuring excellent annotated listings of what to do and where to eat and sleep. With maps, color photos and suggested excursions. (CND225, $18.99)
How to be a Canadian, Even If You Already are One  •  Ian Ferguson  •  Will Ferguson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2008 •  PAPER  • 275 PAGES A tongue-in-cheek portrait of Canadian people and society, written by two native sons. It's a guidebook for newcomers to Canada. The Fergusons have a good time poking fun at their compatriots, while at the same time providing insights into the cultural landscape. Will Ferguson is the author of Why I Hate Canadians. (CND208, $19.95)
Identities in North America, The Search for Community  •  Robert Earle CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES Mexican, Canadian -- or "American"? Contributors to this academic conference ponder what it all means. David Crombie (the former mayor of Toronto) writes on Canadian cities, Mark Pachter takes on American identity, and several politicians debate the Quebec question. It is a stimulating, wonderfully uneven book. (CND14, $24.95)
In the Skin of a Lion  •  Michael Ondaatje LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 243 PAGES This richly lyrical, poetic novel by Michael Ondaatje is set in 1920's Toronto and rural Ontario. It's a demanding -- and rewarding -- book. Its protagonist is a tough woodsman who comes to the rough-and-tumble city. (CND13, $13.95)
Insight City Guide Toronto  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER The Toronto Insight City Guide combines insightful writing and lavish full-color photography in a portable format with an emphasis on practical information. (CND318, $16.95)
Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power and Lies  •  Ginger Strand HISTORY •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES Strand turns her initial impulse to make fun of the kitchy, overexposed honky tonk at modern Niagara Falls into this witty, well-researched tale of the transformation of a natural wonder into an engineering feat, spectacle and monument. (CND302, $25.00)
Kensington  •  Jean Cochrane  •  Vincenzo Pietropaolo CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES A pictorial portrait of Toronto's Kensington Market, past and present, featuring 120 black-and-white photographs. No neighborhood is more emblematic of polyglot Toronto than Kensington, where Indians, Italians, Afro-Carribeans, Chinese and Anglo-Saxons eat, sleep and haggle side-by-side. (CND144, $29.95)
Kingbird Highway, The Story of a Natural Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand  •  Kenn Kaufman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES Kaufman's absorbing account of coming-of-age as a Wichita teenager on the road in 1973 with a summer's pay in his pocket and the goal of seeing as many birds as he could in a year. He tallied 671, impressive by any account and extraordinary if you count birds per buck. He did it all for $1,000. This cult classic was originally published in 1973. (BRD27, $14.00)
The Last Spike, The Great Railway, 1881-1885  •  Pierre Berton HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES Part two in Berton's exhilarating narrative of the boldest project in Canadian history, the building of the transcontinental railroad. Berton, arguably the country's greatest historian, focuses on personalities and politics, drawing from a multitude of historical documents. The first volume is "The National Dream" (CND178). (CND179, $24.95)
Mammals of North America  •  Roland W. Kays  •  Don E. Wilson FIELD GUIDE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A comprehensive guide by two noted mammalogists and featuring 108 color plates, illustrating 442 species. Range maps and descriptive text on ecology, habitat and behavior complement the wonderful paintings. (NAM11, $19.95)
The National Dream, The Great Railway, 1871 to 1881  •  Pierre Berton HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 456 PAGES An exhilarating narrative of the boldest project in Canadian history, the building of the transcontinental railroad. Berton, arguably the country's greatest historian, focuses on personalities and politics, drawing from a multitude of historical documents. The first of two parts, this book follows the railway from idea to the beginning of construction. Part two, "The Last Spike" (CND179), is also available. (CND178, $24.95)
Niagara Falls (Images of America)  •  Daniel Dumych HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER A photohistory of the town that grew up around the falls, drawn from the archives of the Niagara Library. (CND240, $19.99)
Northeast US Southeast Canada Map  •  Marshall Penn-York Maps MAP A colorful map of the Great Lakes at a scale of 1:1,700,000. (GLK08, $3.95)
Ottawa: the Unknown City  •  Rob McLennan GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A quirky and practical guide to the history and attractions of the Canadian capital. (CND287, $22.95)
Return to Wild America, A Yearlong Search for the Continent's Natural Soul  •  Scott Weidensaul NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES Weidensaul follows in the footsteps conservation pioneers Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher in this homage to their 1953 journey, modern travelogue and eye-opening report on wilderness in America. (USA123, $15.00)
Stolen Continents, 500 Years of Conquest and Resistance in the Americas  •  Ronald Wright HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A powerful history of imperialism and resistance in the Americas, with a focus on the Aztec, Maya, Inca, Cherokee and Iroquois. Wright's illuminating account, told largely from the point of view of the losers, details the rapid collapse of cultures and societies in the Americas following the arrival of the Europeans in 1492. Wright draws on an impressive range of archival material in reconstructing this classic account, originally published in 1993. Wright is also the author of Time Among the Maya. (NAM20, $17.00)
Time Out Toronto  •  Lesle McCave GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 279 PAGES An up-to-date guide on what to do and where to go by the people who publish Time Out Magazine. (CND237, $19.95)
To See Every Bird On Earth: A Father, A Son, And A Lifelong Obsession  •  Dan Koeppel NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Ostensibly about birds and birdwatching, this enormously appealing book is a memoir by a talented writer of his father, a father who happens to be in the elite cadre of major birders. Dan Koeppel chronicles his father's growing interest in birds in this enormously appealing memoir of a life devoted to birds. Richard is a member of an elite group who have tallied more than 7,000 species. Koeppel includes his own travels tagging along and brief profiles of other eccentric listers. (BRD28, $14.00)
The Verb to Bird, Sightings of an Avid Birder  •  Peter Cashwell NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 269 PAGES A memoir of the birding life, its pleasures, obsessions and pitfalls. Based in the Carolinas (where he teaches English), Cashwell recounts in these essays the birds he's encountered, the why and wherefores of the birding life and some very entertaining anecdotes. Along the way, Cashwell traces his own development from casual novice to life lister (with a desire to see all the birds of North America). (BRD26, $14.95)
Where Toronto Cityguide  •  Where Magazine GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • COMING IN DECEMBER A sturdy pocket guide to city neighborhoods, hotels, shops, restaurants, entertainment venues, cultural events and other top sights, helpfully keyed to overview maps and featuring a detailed downtown PopOut map. (CND285, $9.95)