National Network for Equitable Library Service

Stories of South Mountain and its notorious Goler Clan are often told in whispers--or not at all.For over a century, a gruesome pattern of sexual and physical abuse, incest, and psychological torture defined the isolated mountain community, and residents of the nearby Annapolis Valley turned a blind eye.

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.

Pat Connolly spent more than sixty years talking of, writing about, and analyzing sports in radio, television, and print media in Nova Scotia and central Canada. His clear, sharp voice was known to thousands as the consummate sportscaster and play-by-play man. Pat’s eclectic life encompassed journalism, politics, community work, and an abiding dedication to family. Told with characteristic wit and honesty, Play by Play is Pat’s memoir of a life well-lived. Includes 30 photographs.

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 It encompasses dozens of previously unpublished stories, photographs, and documents, along with some thought-provoking coverage of the inquiry into the disaster.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.

Allan Donaldson grew up in Woodstock, N.B.. As a child, he became well acquainted with the street life of the town. In his teens, he worked summers wheeling cement, tamping ties and laying steel on the railway, working on a rock crusher and an asphalt plant, and operating a jackhammer. On scholarships, he studied English literature at the University of New Brunswick and the University of London, and he spent a teaching career in the English Department at UNB. He is the author of a book of short stories, Paradise Siding.