National Network for Equitable Library Service

In the early hours of February 15, 1982, tragedy struck the Ocean Ranger oil rig when it capsized and sank in a severe weather storm 170 nautical miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland. All of the eighty-four crewmen perished, including fifty-six men from the province. This was Canada's greatest maritime disaster since World War II. Rig is a powerful story filled with first-person accounts and previously unpublished photographs.

Connecting the Continents tells the story of the struggles and successes of a pioneer cable station whose elite group of operators added a new social class to the community. In the process, they reshaped life in Heart's Content, giving it a flavour unique among the outports of the province.

The Jack Ford Story: The Newfoundlander in Nagasaki is an amazing story of endurance, courage and survival. In 1940, Jack Ford was an employee of the Newfoundland Railway in a remote settlement of Newfoundland. Having volunteered for service in World War II at the age of twenty-one, Ford encountered the realities of war when the troop ship he was traveling on to England was attacked several times by German U-boats. When the atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945, Jack Ford was there - in a prisoner of war camp.

In 2009, author Ted Rowe published his fascinating book about the transatlantic cable called Connecting the Continents. The narrative of that 1866 miracle of engineering brought the outport of Heart's Content back to the world's attention. Now, in a companion volume to his earlier book, Rowe introduces us to the characters who shaped this remarkable community from its earliest days up to the 1970s. Readers will meet pioneer merchants, rogue priests, and community stalwarts.

First in Line: The Incredible Life of Leonard Stick documents the life of Leonard Stick, a distinguished war veteran, lawman and federal politician who was the 'first' in many historically significant events throughout his lifetime. Stick was the first man to enlist with the Newfoundland Regiment, regional No. 1, when it was reconstructed at the outbreak of WWI. He was also a member of the First Five Hundred, also known at the Blue Puttees and fought in the Battle of Beaumont Hamel. He was promoted to sergeant on September 21, 1914.

On December 6, 1917, the Canadian city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was shattered when a volatile cargo exploded in the bustling wartime harbour. Over 1,600 people were killed and 9,000 injured. At the time, it was the worst man-made disaster in history. This book weaves together the compelling stories and potent lessons learned from this catastrophe.

An army may march on its stomach, but it needs more than hot dinners to fight. As Canadians battled through Northwest Europe in the Second World War, how did they reinforce their front lines? An Army of Never-Ending Strengthprovides detailed insight into the administration, structure, and troop and equipment levels of the First Canadian Army during 1944–45. Captain Arthur W. Gullachsen demonstrates the army's effectiveness at reinforcing its combat units and draws a powerful conclusion.

In the early hours of October 14, 1942, under cover of darkness, the German submarine U-69 torpedoed and sank the passenger ferry SS Caribou off the southwest coast of Port aux Basques, Newfoundland.

Now, seventy years later, writer and artist Jennifer Morgan recreates that eventful night in full colour. These vivid illustrations, in comic book form, bring the history and aftermath of the Caribou’s final voyage to life for a whole new generation of readers.

The fishery, the seal cull, the settlement, the culture—the history of Newfoundland and Labrador has been shaped and witnessed from the deck of sea-going vessels, and those vessels were sparred with local timbers, planked and rigged by the hands of our master shipbuilders. In this companion volume to its highly successful predecessor, author Calvin Evans covers every coast and bay from Notre Dame Bay to Petty Harbour and includes all of Labrador in a chronicle of craftsmanship and productivity.

The first St. John's taxi stand started up in the early-20th Century and greatly expanded prior to the Second World War. There are now almost four hundred taxis operating within the city limits. The Other Side of Midnight: Taxi Cab Stories is not a traditional history of taxi cabs in St. John's. It describes the commonly shared experiences of an underwritten portion of Newfoundland's working class while presenting St. John's from the front seat of a taxi cab.