National Network for Equitable Library Service

The Nova Scotia Black Experience Through the Centuries is a comprehensive account of the African Nova Scotian struggle to build a vital community in the face of racial discrimination. Originally published in two volumes as Beneath the Clouds of the Promised Land, this illustrated edition has been extensively updated and includes a new chapter tracing the experiences of Nova Scotia's black community into the twenty-first century.

Three different fishing communities, three different countries, but in their pursuit of fish on the banks they would have much in common, including the terrors of the North Atlantic storms. The August Gales is a richly detailed history of the banks fishery, the perils of the North Atlantic, and more specifically, the three powerful, and ultimately deadly, August storms that devastated not only an industry, but entire communities.

Nova Scotia's Ross Farm Museum is a living window into the province's agricultural history. Since the museum opened in 1970, it has been a favourite destination for school children, who have been educated about early times and farming. There, you can see straw hats being woven, wool being spun, and butter being churned. There is a blacksmith shop and a stave mill. This delightful book, the latest in the Stories of our Past series, tells the story of the original Ross family who crossed the Atlantic in 1816, built a home, and overcame many challenges.

His was a life worth living, a story worth telling. So Jim Spatz describes the story of his father, Simon Spatz, in the introduction to this fascinating biography of the high-profile Jewish Nova Scotian businessman (1913–2007). In Simon Spatz, former journalism professor Michael Cobdon tells the remarkable story of a man who not only survived but thrived against all odds.

A miserly miller with a stash of gold, an island with an ever-changing list alias, 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 shady individuals who grace the pages of Scamps and Scoundrels. Riotous, and witty, Bob Kroll writes these tales of infamy in a delightfully folksy style, bringing to life snippets of the Maritimes’ somewhat less glorious history.

When New Brunswick became its own colony in 1784, the government concluded several peace treaties with the Mi’kmaq and Maliseet in the territory that protected First Nations lands. But as settlers, loyalists, and disbanded soldiers moved into New Brunswick, they moved onto the reserves, often without official sanction. This squatter problem led the New Brunswick government to pass an act in 1844 that allowed them to sell reserve land.

This book, the most comprehensive ever written on the Explosion, details the terrific devastation, the aftermath and the restoration. It encompasses dozens of previously unpublished stories, photographs, and documents, along with some thought-provoking coverage of the inquiry into the disaster. A best- selling book from its first printing in 1989, this new edition has an updated cover and is sure to be a must-have for readers.

Regularly described as New Brunswick’s greatest scholar, William Francis Ganong (1864–1941) wrote more than many people have ever read. His range of interests is reflected in his vast body of work: botany, zoology, physiography, cartography, and native languages were all within his reach. But his greatest interest, subsuming all others, was New Brunswick. Ganong endeavoured to write even his most scholarly papers for the general reader, and that is what historian Ronald Rees had done with New Brunswick Was His Country.

Maritime Mysteries chronicles the restless spirits, ghostly apparitions, eerie poltergeists, and haunted houses that surround us. With its jagged seacoast, rich history, and a deep-rooted appreciation for the art of storytelling, the Maritime provinces have an extensive tradition of tales of the supernatural, handed down over generations. In this new edition of the classic book, Bill Jessome brings together over eighty of the region’s most spine-tingling tales--both old and new--that you wouldn’t believe in your wildest dreams!

For over two centuries, the mysterious labyrinth of shafts and tunnels under Oak Island, a tiny island on Nova Scotia's South Shore, has been the scene of a frantic search by scores of treasure hunters from two continents. They believe that the shafts and intricate man-made flooding system hold the secret to a treasure of untold wealth. Although millions have been spent, bitter feuds have erupted, and men have died, the treasure has remained as elusive as the answers to who built the labyrinth, why and how it was constructed, and the nature of the treasure itself. Until now.