Canada Books

I received this fine book as a Christmas gift.In "Dances With Light", photographer Darwin Wiggett shows skill and artistry in portraying the Canadian Rockies in many changing moods of light and reflection. As well as the grand landscape, Wiggett has an eye for the small detail, catching things that many would walk by without noticing. Great work here! The production values of the book are very high and Altitude Publishing is to be commended for presenting Wiggett's work in fine fashion. Highly recommended.

I visited this area of Canada and took my own photos, but wanted something more that would capture seasons, lighting and times I missed. I saw this book in a store in Banff and ordered it once I returned to the states. The photos are absolutely wonderful and the book lives up to its title about the use of light. Unless you have a year to spend in the Canadian Rockies and plenty of time to travel to out-of-the way locations, you will never get the photos that Mr. Wiggett has gotten. I liked this book so much I bought a copy for a Canadian friend who is going overseas where there is only sand and office buildings. You'll be happy with this book purchase.

I thoroughly enjoyed this tracing of David Suziki's life from his early encounters with racism through his life-long efforts to inform others of the need to safeguard the Earth's resources and his role to do something about it. This is indeed the story from the one who lived it of a great scientist and environmentalist. Highly recommended.

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"Why would anyone else be interested in my life? I know people like to delve into the hidden parts of the lives of people who have acquired some notoriety, hoping to find juicy bits of gossip, signs of weakness or faults that bring the subjects down off pedestals, or simply to expand on what one knows about a public figure. It's not my intension to satisfy that curiosity. Instead, as an "elder," I hope my reflection on one life may stir the reader to consider those thoughts in relation to his or her own life."

The above is found in the last paragraph of the preface of this book by geneticist and environmentalist, the TV host of the acclaimed long-running program "The Nature of Things with David Suzuki," the founder and chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, and the author of more than forty books, David Suzuki (born 1936).

Suzuki explains the contents of his candid and honest book:

"This...is a story I have created by selectively dredging up bits and pieces from the detritus of seventy years of life. The first five chapters skim over the first fifty years...and the rest of the book describes events since then."

More specifically, the first five chapters begin with his childhood life in "racist British Columbia" in Canada, then goes on to his education in the U.S., his early career as a research geneticist, and his "new career" in radio then television. As the book proceeds, we see his transformation into environmental warrior where he recounts stories of his activism in British Columbia and eventually the Amazon, telling us of the plight of the indigenous peoples in this environmentally sensitive region.

In the second half of his book, he tells of his journeys to Australia. Suzuki fell "head over heels" for this country and says that "We [his second wife and him] have never regretted remaining in Canada, but we do feel privileged to be able to return to Australia again and again." He goes on to explain the establishment of the foundation named after him and describes some of its successes to date. Then he proceeds to tell us of his experiences at the Earth summit of 1992 and the world climate change conference held in Kyoto, Japan in 1997.

The last three chapters are especially interesting where Suzuki gives us his ruminations on science and technology, the cult of celebrity and old age respectively.

Throughout the book, two things are apparent: Suzuki cares deeply for his family and his passion for the environment. With regards to the latter, I thought I knew a lot about what's happening to the environment, but I learned much more from reading this book. I think I learned so much because of Suzuki's first-hand observations that he eloquently details and his explanations of what's going on are easy to understand. (My assertion here is actually incredible when you think about it because this book is actually an autobiography and not an environmental science book.)

This autobiography is chatty, intimate, full of interesting stories, and remarkably honest. Suzuki's decency and sincerity shines through practically every sentence of his book.

Finally, the book is peppered with photographs. Even though he sees the "cult of celebrity" as "frightening," you'll see Suzuki in photographs with Canadian and U.S. celebrities such as Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, Tom Cruise, and Jane Fonda. My favorite photo is the very last one that has him posing naked with only a fig leaf on. The caption reads:

"The notorious fig leaf shot for the show "Phallacies" for [his TV show] "The Nature of Things with David Suzuki."

In conclusion, this is an elegant account of the life of a man who evolved from an academic geneticist into a T.V. and radio personality, first popular in Canada, then the world!!

(first published 2006; preface; 18 chapters; main narrative 400 pages; index; photo credits)

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Being a history buff,I was drawn to the cover of this intriguing book about a WW1 Canadian soldier. The accounts of Harry Hillyer as depicted in his letters home to his wife and child gave me a very real perspective on the life of a foot soldier during one of our country's most critical eras. This book is filled with history as seen and experienced by someone who was there. I laughed at many of the written exchanges between Harry and Jen; I felt their passion and pain; and I cried real tears at the finaly few pages.
"Dear Harry, First Hand Account of a WW1 Infantry Man" should be a part of every high school curriculum, it's that good.
Author Norma Shephard has done a magnificent job putting together this great literary piece and has done her grandfather a great service in the process.

I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating collection of WW1 letters. A remarkable, true Canadian story; Dear Harry reads like one long, bittersweet loveletter. I couldn't put it down.

Extremely well written and filled to the brim with usefull information concerning the War and all that you always wanted to know (and more). Black and white photographs and a bibiography help anyone wanting to learn more.

Vance's examination of post-WWI Canadian experience, and the role of religious and spiritual beliefs in endorsing the trauma of the Great War, is first class. An interesting book to contrast with that other classic, Fussell, The Great War and Modern Memory, but Vance is a better examination of the Great War from a Canadian perspective. Highly recommended for military historians and enthusiasts looking for a fresh perspective on the impact of the Great War on society.

My husband and I used this book to navigate the various anchorages around Desolation Sound and Discovery Islands this last summer. The decriptions, drawings, and photos of each area only cover a page to two pages but are very complete. The drawings illustrate the various areas one can anchor -- which was really helpful. We travel with a dog so we always looked for spots that gave us easy access to the shore for doggy visits. I would recommend this book to any traveler to this area!

I teach sailing and cruising skills, and the arrival of this terrific cruising guide is welcome. Beautiful photos and great graphic diagrams of harbors and every possible anchorage.

Should be on every charter boat, but often is not, so if you are chartering inquire.

This is an excellent book for someone just starting (or restarting) into the world of railroads (like myself). It provides not only information about diesel locomotives built before 1972, but background about each manufacturer, details of special modifications, locomotive repowerings, and even detail photos of common truck assemblies. Subjects are organized first by manufacturer, then in basic chronological order by specification (normally-aspirated, turbocharged, gas-turbine, etc). It's a fine overview of the first days of diesel.

This is the place to learn concisely and with nice pictures about all the different older diesel engines. Recommended!

One of the little considered aspects of science is how it acts as a medium of diplomacy. Studying the wonders of nature, whether of the past or present, brings together people with common interests. In this book Grady relates the events taking place in the 1980s and '90s when Chinese and Canadian paleontologists undertook a major project to dispel some of the mysteries of dinosaur evolution. Well researched and superbly written, Grady here displays the writing skills that would propel him to become one of Canada's foremost science journalists.

The Canada-China Dinosaur Project was considered by most of its participants as a resurrection of work begun many years ago. Roy Chapman Andrews, adventurer, researcher, promoter, went to China in the 1920s seeking evidence of human origins. Instead he stunned the world by finding dinosaur eggs. Interruptions of revolution, wars cold and hot and slim communications links prevented proper follow-up on Andrews finds. Phil Currie and Dale Russell, Canadian paleontologists, sought to identify links that might show relationships between Asian and North American dinosaurs. Grady traces their efforts, following the teams from Mongolian deserts to bleak Arctic islands. There are personality clashes, disputes over resources and inadequate equipment. In the end, the broader needs of good science overcame the petty hindrances and the Project proved an astounding success.

Grady reviews the search for fossils in the Canadian west in opening the tale. In the late 19th Century, the Alberta Badlands were a magnet for fossil hunters. In some places you might trip over fossils recently revealed by soil erosion. Ultimately, the finds led to preserves and the now-famous Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology outside Drumheller. Currie took up the idea of the joint-nation project in the spirit of Carl Sagan's Russian-American Soyuz space project. Currie called it "dinosaurs for peace." A decade of cooperative research, according to Grady, paid enormous dividends for science. The evidence proved another verification that Asia and the Americas were joined in the ancient past.

Grady's fine writing is further graced by numerous photographs and maps. In reminding us that the geography [and geology] of Canada and China are similar, he reinforces that view with excellent photographs. There are maps of the areas with exploratory routes indicated. The scale, necessarily small, cannot fully convey the distances travelled in search of fossils. Added to these illustrations are excellent diagrams of the dinosaurs in skeleton and body plan. In all this book is a trove of information, feeling and discovery. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

The book The Dinosaur Project, by Wayne Grady, describes the joint Canadian and Chinese paleontological project starting in 1985. During the course of this project, Canadian researchers worked alongside Chinese researchers in the paleontological cornucopia of the Gobi Desert, as well as Chinese workers working with Canadians in the also fruitful Southern Alberta Badlands and the Canadian High Arctic. The field areas are so harsh and the characters are so interesting that this book could easily be made into a Spielberg movie. The start of the book immediately draws in the reader by describing the history behind the project. This project is referred to as the largest and most ambitious modern dinosaur hunting expedition ever mounted. It detailed the networking of the Chinese and Canadian colleagues over several years at various conferences until the project eventually became a reality. Narrative style keeps the reader interested as the paleontogists go into extreme conditions in the field, and as their finds are put into perspective relative to contemporary paleontogical dogma. This book was surprisingly gripping for a bone book. It covered many important paleontological theories, but kept the jargon to a minimum. Quotations and anecdotes were often used to relay how science works as well; science both as an abstract methodology and also the reality of working in extreme conditions. One quotation in particularly was well-worded "science is a way of thinking; it's how we move from what we think we don't know to what we think we know" (Dale Russel). The anecdotal style of the book is what really makes it well-written.

This fascinating book is an illuminating examination of powerful spiritual trends shaping the future of Canada -- and by extension and application (if you wish), the United States. The trends point to historic changes in the North American religious and spiritual landscape.

I strongly recommend "Divine Hunger" to anyone interested in the future of religion, research about trends and the remarkable power of baby boomers to produce lasting changes in society. I can imagine that the societal changes the boomers are now producing -- most of which are not yet on most people's radar screens -- will be the generation's most profound and defining legacy.

This fascinating book is an illuminating examination of powerful spiritual trends shaping the future of Canada -- and by extension and application (if you wish), the United States. The trends point to historic changes in the North American religious and spiritual landscape.

I strongly recommend "Divine Hunger" to anyone interested in the future of religion, research about trends and the remarkable power of baby boomers to produce lasting changes in society. I can imagine that the societal changes the boomers are now producing -- most of which are not yet on most people's radar screens -- will be the generation's most profound and defining legacy.

Hypnosis can bring you success at weight loss, especially if other approaches have failed. Some of my patients report that their weight loss was virtually effortless -- not at all like being on a diet. Reaching and maintaining an ideal weight requires your attention to three simple principles:

You'll learn to eat healthy and take pleasure and delight in what you can eat, rather than be frustrated by what you can't eat;
You'll learn to lead an active lifestyle, enjoying your decision to be active on a regular, daily basis;
You'll learn to meet your emotional needs without using food to comfort yourself.

"Teaching these three basic principles and amplifying them with self-hypnosis via Dr. Larry's self-change techniques has made him a fantastic weight loss guru. This CD will get you started easily, quickly and permanently on the road to good health. As he entertains you, Dr. Larry will give you the latest information in medical advice and strategies for weight loss. As you understand what you need to do and should do, the suggestive powers of self-hypnosis help to put you in charge."

I will be forever grateful to Dr. Larry for this CD it changed my life!

After years of trying every diet plan imaginable, I purchased Dr. Larry's Lose Weight CD. Hypnotism was totally unfamiliar to me (except the stage type). I couldn't believe it would work, but was determined to try.

Listening to the tape on a daily basis, I learned to eat smaller portions of healthy food, joined a fitness centre where a fitness instructor devised a program for me to support the weight loss program suggested by Dr, Larry.

"Meeting emotional needs without using food as a salve" was perhaps the most difficult. Being overweight, size 16-18 clothes and feeling very unattractive, led to a cycle of overeating. But as the pounds started to come off and continued to do so with the aid of Dr. Larry's CD, a new confident person emerged, who could handle this lifestyle change.

Dr. Larry's CD changed my life - after almost 40 pounds of weight loss, I wear a size 10, lead a healthy, active lifestyle and have a very positive outlook on life. I was thrilled to go shopping for my first pair of jeans (without an elastic waistband) and have my grandchildren call me their "cool Nanny"!

This was a GREAT book. It tells us why Esther Short Park was named so (got some interesting stuff about Esther!), as well as the naming of some of our better known streets (Fourth Plain and Mill Plain... I always wondered about those). Also contains a lot of history on Officers' Row and the fort, and its inhabitants. I knew nothing about Mother Joseph before reading this book, and now I know how she influenced the building of Vancouver. Of particular interest to me, the book gives a lot of the little reasons why Portland ended up growing so much bigger than Vancouver, even though Vancouver is older.

This book has a few tidbits about people in Vancouver that remind me how very much that they weren't just names in a history book. When the law declared that the St. James Church belonged to the Army and not to the Catholic Church (the book didn't give the year, but with searching online, found out this was in the 1890s), a young Army officer went to the church to help the priest move out, and I laughed out loud when I read how the angry priest reacted to the officer's offer of help. I also liked the bit about the practical joke a pilot made at the dedication festival for Pearson Field in 1925.

My husband and I only noticed one thing that could have been a glaring typo. It was in reference to a photo (on page 25) telling us where Pearson Field would later be.... however, the book said the photo was taken in the 1970s. We're guessing it had been actually taken in the 1870s, as Pearson Field was dedicated in 1925 and it has never changed locations. If it had been taken in the 1970s, we would have seen Pearson Field in the photo.

Like the other reviewer said, I wish there were more in this book. However, what is there is nicely laid out. Each section begins with a page of history in text, followed by pages of photos with descriptive captions.

The Fort Vancouver library system has this book, by the way. ^_^

As almost a life long resident of Vancouver, having moved here in 1965 this is "Home". I remember when this town was so much smaller and still see a lot of the remnants of its history. Only complaint is I wish it were twice as large in volume/content and just double the price. I've ordered the volumes on Camas and Washougal, and wait eagerly as I'm currently living in Camas in a home built in 1908 by owners of the paper mill of that period. I only hope the rest of the series is half the quality of this book.