National Network for Equitable Library Service

To Go Upon Discovery begins with Cook’s arrival in Canada in 1758 and ends with his appointment to take Endeavour to the South Pacific. In between these dates, we witness the siege of Louisbourg during the Seven Years’ War, where Cook made his almost accidental discovery of the surveying techniques that distinguished him and gave him a prominent place in history. We see the development of his abilities while based in Halifax (1759-62), a port he knew better than any but his home port of Whitby, England.

Canada's foremost cookbook author began her career, not as a cook, but as a journalist writing for Canadian magazines. She was 60 when she turned her attention to food. Food That Really Schmecks immediately became a best-seller, and continues to sell 35 years later. It's more than a book of wonderful recipes - it also describes the Mennonite way of life. The success of that book led to two more Schmecks books and many other cookbooks. Edna has received the Order of Canada among many other awards.

"In her portrayal of the life of Sister Catherine Donnelly, founder of the Sisters of Service, author Jeanne Beck has succeeded in weaving a tapestry rich in texture, broad in scope and deeply revealing of the character of a memorable Canadian woman."-Brian F.

For more than two hundred years, thousands of giant sailing ships traversed the Great Lakes carrying cargo and passengers. The memory of the romance and elegance of these beautiful ships has almost been forgotten in the search for greater efficiency and speed in our modern world. C.H.J. Snider (1879-1971) chronicled this era in his 1,303 "Schooner Days" columns for Toronto’s The Evening Telegram between 1931 and 1954. A great marine researcher and artist, Snider himself worked aboard schooners in his youth and studied first-hand the development of the Great Lakes region.

Peter C. Newman called him "the Totem of the Titans." From a small Prairie town, Daryl K. "Doc" Seaman became an icon of Canadian business and hockey. He is one of the last of a breed of postwar entrepreneurs and sportsmen who forged modern Canada, striking deals on a handshake and always keeping their word.After flying 82 combat missions during the Second World War, Doc Seaman worked in the oil industry with his brothers, turning a small Alberta drilling business into a global giant, Bow Valley Industries.

"You’ll like Louis Mayer," Mary Pickford told Charles Foster in 1943. "He is from Canada, too." As Foster was soon to discover, Mayer was not alone: a great many of those who helped shape Hollywood into the movie capital of the world were Canadian. Stardust and Shadows brings together the stories of 18 Canadians who were celebrities during Hollywood’s formative years.

They come from the cities and farms, military bases and tourist towns, seaside bungalows and urban apartments. All are ordinary people who did extraordinary things. Not one of them sought recognition, yet all are worthy of our admiration.

For the first time, Sing a New Song tells the stories of four Canadian bishops who pushed the envelope and changed the world. All have faced severe opposition; one was involved in the only Anglican schism in Canadian history; two jeopardized their careers; and one was voted the sixth most important person of the twentieth century whose world view has transformed the wider society. Over the last 150 years, George Hills, David Somerville, Douglas Hambidge, and Michael Ingham adopted unpopular causes with their eyes wide open.

The stories of many POW escapees are well known, but what about those who miraculously evaded capture in the first place and returned to fight another day? This compelling book tells some of the epic stories of the thousands of shot-down airmen, including Canadians from across the country, who got out from behind enemy lines in Europe, the Far East, and Africa during the Second World War. Based on special first-hand interviews and new research into official debriefing documents held at Britain's National Archives, many of these accounts have never been published before.

One of only fifty infantry battalions to see action with the Canadian Expeditionary Force during World War I, the 58th nevertheless had no official history. Second to None tells the story of this important, yet forgotten, battalion. The soldiers who formed the 58th exemplified the ideal citizen soldiers and later evolved into the tough, battle-savvy veterans who destroyed the cream of the German Imperial Army and won battle honours.