Canada Books

This is an opus....and a grand one at that.
This is a book that whets ones appetite for even more. Whether it is to re-read a classic in a different light, or read a book mentioned for the first time.

This is an absolutely beautiful book for all lovers of books and reading. Highly recommended.

The LIBRARY AT NIGHT is an ideal blend of contemplation and observation, of thought and history. With chapters that read like short stories it is accessible to the 'not enough time" as to the "google stupidized" reader. A great gift for any librarian, or reader of books. Books in history . . . back to the shelves. Leaves the reading feeling like he's just left a scene from The Ninth Gate.

The Library At Night is the first book I have read by Alberto Manguel. I can say now, after completing it earlier today, that I am looking forward to reading other selections that this author has written.

I was not quite sure what to expect from this book, from simply reading the title. I could only hope that it would not disappoint and it did not. The book is broken down into 15 chapters. Each of them begins with "The Library As...." You can fill in the blank with such words as "Power," "Myth," "Shadow," and "Chance" (among 11 others). The chapters begin with personal anecdotes from Manguel. We learn a lot about who he is as well as the extent of his personal library. Following the brief reflection, he delves into well-researched historical data that revolve around his chapter topics. The stories he tells flow nicely together and endnotes are provided in the back of the book for further reading. The chapters are quite strong, though I really was expecting more from the last two chapters.

The only negative aspects, and really they aren't negative to all, of this book are Manguel's erudite use of language. He excels at linguistics and I found myself needing a dictionary nearby to help me through the text. Manguel makes many comparisons throughout the text between books, many of which, I had not heard of before. While I was excited about these newly discovered books,at least to me, they are not commonplace. So, yes, this book is written on a somewhat high intellectual level and a portion of its charm is lost by the author speaking over the reader's head.

Alberto Manguel has produced a romantic history of libraries which incorporates their best feature: the ability to wander down hitherto unsuspected byways and make new discoveries, often winding up far from your original objective but still satisfied by what you have found instead. This is a discursive history of libraries through various categories: Myth, Order, etc. with fascinating essays for each. Those who love reading and libraries will learn much history and philosophy and will recognize in Manguel a kindred spirit and friend.

Highly recommended for landscape design and
development of native gardens

I am a plant freak, and I am a gardening book freak. I have many, many books, probably too many. Literally. So many books that I've bought that looked interesting at the store have wound up sitting on the shelf, never to be opened again. This is one that will never even get to the shelf.

This book is so comprehensive, so informative, so beautiful to look at, and so danged readable that I find myself seeking it out whenever I've got a free moment. How many gardening books have you bought lately that poured forth all the information you could possibly want? How many have you bought lately that were a lot of fun to read? Now, how many can you name that do both at the same time? A precious few, but this one does.

Timber Press celebrated their 25th Anniversary this past year, and I did something I never do, I wrote the company a letter. In essence, what I said was this, "I never mind buying a Timber Press Book, often sight unseen, because I know it will be good." This book is excellent, even by Timber Press standards.

If you have any interest in trees or gardening, you will find this book a "must have." Informative, enjoyable, beautiful. What else could you want?

This outstanding new book will become one of the primary references for all kinds of information about native woody plants of North America. Many of the plant descriptions have far more detailed information on culture, diseases, and ornamental characteristics than the widely known reference books by Michael Dirr (the 'standards' by which all other woody plant references are judged). While the intent is to provide information and promote the ornamental characteristics of native woody plants, for home gardeners and landscape professionals, this will also prove to be a valuble reference for naturalists and others mainly interested in these plants in the native, rather than the cultivated, landscape. The photographs are outstanding, and will certainly promote interest in many little known and underutilized woody plants. I never knew there were so many native North American oaks! As a botanist and later home gardener with a life-long interest in woody plants, there are few books in the past decade which have been published with this level of detail and value.

Guy and Jim have done it again!

I have one of Guy and Jim's other books: Landscaping with Native Trees and I am so excited to finally have their new book: Native Trees for North American Landscapes.

This book is well written and is written in a style that both the plant-person and the novice gardener can easily understand and appreciate.

Guy and Jim provide a breakdown for each of the trees listed in the book. This is a listing of the information given for each tree:

-Description (includes size)
-Leaves
-Flower and Fruit OR Cones and Seeds
-Best Season
-Native and Adaptive Range
-Culture
-Problems
-Cultivars
-Similar and Related Species
-Comments

The above information makes it very easy for anyone to decide whether a particular tree is suitable for their site (and USDA growing zone) and how they want to use the tree, whether it be as a specimen, screen, etc.

I read Ben Johnson's review of this book and I don't quite understand his vendetta against Guy and Jim and this book.

Ben had (has) some problems with some of the technical words that Guy and Jim have used periodically through the text. Ben must not be able to use the glossary that is included in the back of the book because all of the words that he has a problem with are included there along with their definitions. Don't be frightened by Ben's fear of new words. If you find a word that you are not familiar with, then check the glossary in the back of the book for the definition - it's that easy. It's how we learn.

After reading Ben's review of this book it is clear that he is not really reviewing the book so much as trying to attack Guy's character. This is not the place for that sort of thing.

I, too, frequent the forums on GardenWeb and I have found Guy to be very generous with his advise and help. I read the thread on GardenWeb regarding the removal of a tree because of a problem with the birds pooping on vehicles and, again, Ben has twisted and taken words out-of-context to attack Guy. I have never met Guy in person, but I have the utmost respect for Guy because of all of the help I have received from him through the forums on GardenWeb.

If you want help sorting out which native trees you might want to include in your landscape or you simply want to learn more about the wonderful native trees that grow in this great country of ours, then this is the book for you!

Guy and Jim have written this book about native trees because of their love for our native trees and to get people to, hopefully, include some native trees in their home landscapes.

The photography in the book is outstanding, too.
You will not be disappointed if you purchase this book.
Mike

Guy Sternberg and Jim Wilson's Native Trees For North American Landscapes represents a lifetime of research and work: the authors provide an in-depth technical catalog of detail on native trees and their environments, providing tree 'profiles' which describe flowers, fruit, plant ranges, and culture. Sections outlining best seasonal features are particularly useful, telling gardeners which plants are showiest per season. Stunning photos and outlines of common cultivation problems and solutions make Native Trees For North American Landscapes a solid, invaluable reference for landscapers, libraries and home gardens alike.

I loved this book, the writing, the story and the spiritual adventure. I often think about having my own wolf following me on romps through the wilderness whenever I am out hiking alone. This book has some wonderful insight into the wolf mind and shows why a wolf is not a dog and wolves should not live in captivity. Alongside the wolf story is a great journey the author makes in seeking her own identity and place. I highly recommend it.

Where most of us fail, Teresa somehow has found a way to put those feelings of reconnection into words. While the story of returning her friend, McKenzie, back to her wild heritage is wonderful, this book goes much deeper. Through Teresa's story we feel her returning to her own people, her own roots. More importantly to me, however, is how she puts into words the emotions of those of us who only find our peace through the natural world, a world where being safe behind closed doors is the worse kind of life there is. She tells about how in the wildness of the wilderness, freedom is not safety, but joy and sorrow more intense that the man made world most live in can ever offer.

She shows what most people struggle so hard to avoid, that one day all of us will fight for that one last breath that will never come. What we do with the breaths we have is what is important. Do we hide in our four walls while the wilderness disappears not only "out there", but in our souls as well? Or do we accept give away and live our lives to the fullest.

Teresa is not an author, but a story teller, something that has been sadly lacking in the sterile world we have created. I hope she continues to write for a long time.

I am a hiker and avid outdoors woman living in Colorado. This book created a fire in my heart to be in, love and protect the "wilderness" in our lives. It brings tears to my eyes to remember the teaching and learning between woman and wolf. I am highly recommending this book to my book club for the January read. Her writing is vivid poetry - bringing the reader into the beauty and reality of nature.

Teresa Martino, a graced author who can write and share her adventure with wolf and freedom, is a storyteller with humor, respect, and gift of art and word. It was like I was there with her as she lived this journey. Riveting, piercing, thought-provoking, pondering, and inspiring are adjectives to describe this book.

A true story of a wolf, her daughter, and woman,the author, who cross in each other's path of life. No preaching here. Beautiful physical descriptions of the land, the feelings, the sounds, the colors, the touch of wolf, and glimpses into the author's heart. I felt empathy for her questions she asked and struggled with her during her trials and vulnerabilities. The book goes beyond just another animal story to a tale of emotional questioning and searching by the author. A triumphant ending.

A MUST read. The book grows better and better with each chapter. I found myself reading so fast wanting to know how it ended.

Teresa Tsimmu Martino writes a wonderful tale of her rescue of a wild wolf pup which she raises to be wild. Once old enough, Ms. Martino releases the wolf into the wilderness of Washington where it has survived and had her own litter.

Martino's writing is vivid and human and full of the emotion that courses through her veins. She is also a horse trainer and has great stories to tell of her life around horses in her most recent book.

So, buy this book; await its arrival with anticipation and then savour its story as you lose yourself in her words.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

A Guide to my Book Rating System:

1 star = The wood pulp would have been better utilized as toilet paper.
2 stars = Don't bother, clean your bathroom instead.
3 stars = Wasn't a waste of time, but it was time wasted.
4 stars = Good book, but not life altering.
5 stars = This book changed my world in at least some small way.

Very original style, extremely amusing, often hilarious, sometimes sad. Not since Bridget Jones have I met such a female character! Whether you've been in a long distance relationship or not, everyone does the online e-email chat thing, and Diane does it amusingly well!

One of the premier writers of the late 1940s, 1950s, into the 1960s with one of his last books being "The Last Love" a novel concerning Napoleon, Mr. Thomas B. Costain had an almost unparalleled series of successful books. Some fiction and some not, this book "Below The Salt" is fiction yet with admixture of much fact, and it sits on my shelf along side the boxed 4 volume set of the Plantagenets: The Conquering Family, The Magnificent Century, The Three Edwards, and The Last Plantagenets. I know of no one outside academia to have written as much on Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard Couer de Lion, King John, William Marshal, and others of their time.

But to this book, BELOW THE SALT, Mr. Costain uses the royal family of England and Normandy (Angevin England 1154-1258), the Plantagenets, as a prism through which to focus on the Magna Charta, A.D. 1215, and the rights of the common man as required due to the acts of King John, nicknamed either 'Lackland' or 'Softsword'. Or as the dust jacket states the Magna Charta "thus contributed so much to the liberties of future generations". A recent book by Frank McLynn, "Richard and John, Kings At War" will round out any reader's interest past Below The Salt.

As I believe one reviewer correctly states, Below The Salt may seem a bit slow at start, but once Book Two begins the reader is thrown backward 700 years to views from both the Norman and Saxon, with much information concerning those 'below the salt', that is, those not of landed, noble position and wealth whose place at table was always 'below the salt' with the dregs and dogs of that age's time.

An attempt of an aging Senator from the U.S. intertwined with ruined castles of Ireland combined with events post 1066 Norman conquered England, makes Below The Salt a well written, dashing, exciting story. One that builds eventually leading to the large, open field of Runnymede close by the Thames.

Growing up in the 1950s, all of Thomas B. Costain's books were commonplace on most home bookshelves, helped along by either the BOMC and its wide distribution capability, or the new, inexpensive, mass market paperback explosion taking place after WWII. Anyone of my age (64) will remember all that as fact, and as other reviewers here have stated, the books valued by their parents have now come down to them. I would posit that a person would need some reason to read this book today, afterall the book is 50+ years in age, and there exits little publicity or promotion for it. Even in college world history courses I heard no mention of either Costain or his works, for I fear they were little valued, even much looked down upon.

Yet Mr. Thomas B. Costain's books are more than worth the read today, and should you be one of the fortunate few to discover his work, you will be rewarded both with a venture of entertainment and history. Thomas B. Costain left us a veritable wealth of literature that offers reading pleasure of not the so-called "dark ages", but of the truly bright ages of Medieval time, A.D. 300 to 1300.

Semper Fi.

I read this book not knowing exactly what to expect. I am normally not a fan of historical novels and that is precisely what this book was reported to be. The concept of reading anything "history" brought back many bad memories of high school history class for so long that I nearly gave the book away without reading it. But, ever the optimist, I gave it a shot and boy am I glad I did. This is one of Mr. Costain's better works. It was the first of his books I read, and it introduced me to an entire new genre of book. The characters are wonderfully developed, the story line moves along at a very good pace, and the reader is drawn into the story line. Basically, everything you could want from a good novel. Highly recommended.

England's King Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine had many children, the most famous of whom were Richard the Lionheart and John "Lackland". Another son, Geoffrey, died before his parents, but left 2 children: Arthur and Eleanor. And thereby hangs this tale.
The historical record relates that after the death of Richard Lionheart, the evil John usurped the throne that should have gone to his older brother Geoffrey's son Arthur, and that to solidfy his claim, he murdered Arthur and swept Eleanor into a convent, where she was never to be seen or heard from again.
In this wonderful, imaginative book, the author keeps to most of the historical record, but asserts that after the death of her brother, Arthur, Eleanor was spirited away to safety by William the Marshal.
The story starts in the present day, and details the efforts of a descendent of Marshal to find the lineal descendent of Eleanor, who would be the de jure Queen of England. The story weaves back and forth between the present day and 13th century England, and is absolutely riveting.
If you like English history, and especially if you like what-if situations, this is a great book.

I agree with the other reviewers, but I would caution that this one has a slow start. Stick with it, and you will be amply rewarded. I gobbled up every Costain book I could find as a teen-ager, yet this one has sat unread on my shelves for 20 years until I recently pulled it out. I was glad of the slow start because I am a compulsive reader when I get into a book, and I didn't have the time. Yet once I got into the main story at the beach, I was totally hooked once again. The book is timeless and a treasure.

I found this book to be easy and likable reading. If you enjoy stories of animal this will be good book for you.

In "Bandy," author Marcia Martin recounts a true tale of devotion and perseverance. The book's prose is lyrical as it chronicles the real life experiences of the author's developing relationship with a courageous and affectionate one-legged Canada goose named Bandy. "Bandy" is at once compelling and inspiring-just what the book doctor ordered in a new millennium filled with so many bad tidings. It's a story that can be appreciated by young and old readers alike.

If you like a heart-warming story of courage and overcoming incredible odds, this book is for you. Marcia does a wonderful job showing us how nature can teach us something about our own lives. Bandi the goose is an inspiration for making the most of what you have despite your trials and tribulations. I highly recommend this book to anyone coping with life's challenges, which is everyone at some time or another. We can learn so much from a goose!

Bandy was one of many wild canada geese visting Marcia's pond - and yet he was special and brave and drew her attention. Since he wore a band she was able to identify him and enjoy his repeat visits. Unfortunately, Bandy became injured which caused him to lose status with the geese - however, the bond between Bandy and Marcia strengthened and this story is very much about their special relationship. It is easy to feel the love that Marcia has for Bandy and to find oneself rooting hard for Bandy.

If you enjoy stories about special animals, this book is for you. I was originally nervous to read it, thinking it may be too sad for me. But while it is, of course, sad that Bandy was injured, the book doesn't stop there or even dwell on this. Rather the story continues with Bandy's courage, intelligence, and special friendship with Marcia. I read the book in just a couple of hours and then ordered another copy to give as a gift. It is the kind of story you want to share.

Marcia Martin has a gift for storytelling, and in her warm and open and down-to-earth style, she shares with us an amazing and enchanting story about her friendship with a very special one-legged Canada goose named Bandy. It is a story about compassion and dedication, love and trust, and what we can learn from nature and its denizens about adversity. Indeed, Bandy has much to teach us about courage and perseverance and resilience, and by telling his story, Marcia Martin has given us a most wonderful and inspiring gift.

In the 106 pages of THE BURNING TIME, Carol Matas is able to take you through tremendous tragedy. And hope.

Rose's mother is a midwife who is known for her great gift of healing, and Rose oftentimes helps her mother. Rose's father dies unexpectedly, leaving just she and her mother to take care of themselves and the land he left them in his will.

Her father's relatives are not happy that they did not receive the land upon Rose's father's death. One uncle in particular feels it should be his and is willing to do about anything to get the land for himself. This is where the historical travesty against women during that time period becomes so real--Rose's mother is accused of being a witch. If you think you know what happened to women accused of being witches during that time, you will still be moved by what happens in this book.

Carol Matas has taken such a historical event and put such closeness to it with her characters. No longer is France in the 16th century something read about in a history book, but rather real people let us into their lives and we experience a different kind of world. A different kind of society.

As a teacher I recommend this book often and every student of mine who has read it absolutely loves it. It is a quick read with a powerful punch.

Reviewed by: Dianna Geers

[Quote]very interesting book but later when it got to the to tourture I thought that that like come on ok thats enough! but then again at a point I was interested in what they were doing to the women back then . overall its a very good book i reccommend it for girls and boys 12 and over[/Quote]

I dont understand what you mean by torture since there isnt alot in this book. Two quick segments and the rest of the book is child free. Your a noob.

on a winter day my teacher thought about reading us a book so she picked this one, the burning time; when she started off it seemed like a very interesting book but later when it got to the to tourture I thought that that like come on ok thats enough! but then again at a point I was interested in what they were doing to the women back then . overall its a very good book i reccommend it for girls and boys 12 and over.

A touching, sad, suspenseful and truth-filled story of a teenager named Rose, and her mother who helps to heal people. And an angry group of people against them. And a terrible, powerfull man who comes to their town.
This is story involves risk, love, betrayal, you name it... This book has it all. I highly reccomend it.
However, only for teenagers and very mature children. It is based on the horrid witch hunts and does include some disturbing things.
If you have a chance to read it, do! I could hardly put it down. The suspence will catch you and hold you. A great tale.
It also brings truth to what really happened in the witch hunts so long ago... A must-read.
Enjoy!

Carol Matas, best known for the "Of Two Minds" novels and her various Holocaust fictions, has created a shocking novella about two women who find themselves trapped in a witch hunt in Renaissance France.

Suzanne Rives, a beautiful and fiercely independent widow and skilled midwife, refuses advances from two men to live with her daughter, the main character Rose. People have already been suspicious of her herbal treatments, but when a witch hunter spreads terror in the town comes, Suzanne's fate is sealed.

However, Rose still has some allies: Sylvie, a plucky castle maid whose motives are revealed later, and Raymond, a young man. Suzanne is subjected to horrifying torture by the cruel witch hunters and fanatics.

The violence is bloody and shocking, but never goes over the top. This book is well written, taut and poignant, about a mother-daughter relationship that must overcome the cruelties of the day.

This book is very informative and has already come in very handy for a remote location in Alaska where fresh quality commercial vegetables are hard to come by. Now, we're able to substitute fresh quality wild plants for wilted commercial produce.

Living in Alaska, I must say this is one of the finest books out there to help not only identify but work with wild plants in so many ways. The photos are excellent, the descriptions thorough and elaborate, the only negative is that it is too short, and yet too large to take out in the field! GREAT book, highly recommend.

This a great book for the outdoors person & naturalist who wishes not always to eat out of Costco & eliminate the danger of MONSANTO & the world of unnatural & unsafe foods. Great pix & descriptions, also uses both medicinal & edible

This book has provided me with the ability to further my daily quest to eat only raw food. With Global warming now upon us and with the rising cost of organic vegetables this book will allow me to supplement me diet with raw wild plants.

I own three copies of this - an autographed hardbound that I keep at home and two duct-tape reinforced softback copies that have been on many trips into the field on personal trips, as part of field reference libraries on wilderness kayaking trips, at camps and on natural history cruises, and even in my day pack from time to time (though this is really too big to be a backpacker field guide). When this first came out it was THE gift of the year among my coastal Alaskan friends with any interest in nature (thus my three copies).

I am so impressed with the John Adams DVD set and wonder what Tom Hanks and his crew could do with this beautiful Trilogy written by George Blackburn. Anyone know him well enough to send him the series?

In this, the concluding chapter of Canadian war veteran George G. Blackburn's superb three-volume eyewitness history of our northern neighbor's involvement in the war in Europe, we find a truly stunning successor to the previous two volumes. As with "The Guns Of Normandy" volume, we discover a masterful narrative punctuating the combination of dramatic life and death struggles contrasted with moments of drumming ennui or utter despair. For the Canadian soldier on the ground, the several months following the heroic and costly landing on D-Day were seemingly a coda, a time that seemed unreal because while they had the enemy on the run, the remaining elements of the Wehrmacht fought savagely and well in the ensuing period of time. So, although many of the allies felt it was all over but the shouting, especially after the re-taking of Paris and much of France, as Blackburn shows us from the ground grunt's view, it was anything but over and done with.

This volume picks up the narrative thread where the previous volume left it, with the much-vaunted Canadian 4th Field Regiment ordered in to relentlessly pursue the Germans as they retreated through the treacherous topography of the flooded French area known as the `Low Country'. As the pursuit ensued, the soldiers began to reach the limits of their physical and emotional endurance. And the battle as it unfolded before them promised no respite from the hellish demands posed by an enemy with no real thought of surrendering or fleeing. Yet, as they knock the Wehrmacht from its hastily devised defense perimeters within the Scheldt estuary again and again, they gradually succeeded in creating the conditions for re-opening of Antwerp, and thus helped to unleash the productive power and formidable logistics trail previously left hanging for want of such a large and capable deep-water port.

In the midst of all this, the Canadians, along with the rest of the Allied forces, had to suffer through the worst winter in decades in the European theater in the open and on the ground, and many died from such harsh exposure to the elements. Yet the Germans, fighting under these horrific conditions, still were able to mount savage resistance as they fought even more ferociously even as they began to understand how desperate their situation was. And as they beat the foe back yard by yard, mile by mile, back across the Rhine, the Canadians are enlisted in the increased fight once more in the Battle of the Rhineland, the final push toward the German heartland. And, as victory finally comes, Blackburn assures us it was indeed a bittersweet experience, felt equally with measures of pride and relief, knowing the unbelievable ordeal of the last several years was finally over.

As with his other books, here Blackburn relates his personal experience with a wonderfully literate and engagingly approachable writing style, and he surely uses his journalist's experience and his obvious facility with words to great advantage here, adding immeasurably to our understanding of what the experience on the ground was in as the first fatal hours and days turned into weeks and months of savage fighting, as the Allies bludgeoned their ways through the brutal resistance of a frenzied Nazi war machine. This is a story we should hear again and again, as we rediscover once more how truly amazing the feat of both the Canadians in particular, but all the Allies in general, stood tall in the very face of tyranny and smashed it into smithereens, saving the world from what has to be considered the face of absolute evil. Mr. Blackburn writes with surprising intensity and emotion, and his sense of recall of particular events and existential circumstances for himself and his fellows is both impressive and quite moving at points in his narrative. This is first person history at its best, one that employs both a more objective coda to the book, which also serves to lend a more authoritative aura to the proceedings than would otherwise have been possible. I recommend not only this book, but the other two volumes as well. Enjoy!

"The dream of going home will now actually come true. The thought is intoxicating. But try as you will, it is impossible to suppress the feeling that this is only a temporary pause before another push, or at least another training scheme - there has always been another." ~ George G. Blackburn ~

Mr. Blackburn, who earned his Military Cross (M.C.) for his effort in helping to save the Twente Canal Bridgehead in Holland, is truly a brilliant writer. "The Guns of Victory" is one of the most absorbing books I've ever read. His use of "You" instead of "I" is his way of transporting the reader into the war zone and gets the feeling that you are actually there experiencing the horrors of war.

This is the third and last volume of George Blackburn's engrossing trilogy of military books about World War II, which faithfully chronicles the last eight months of the war on the Western Front. This book is divided into four parts: Part One - September 6 thru November 8. It covers the Clearing of the Channel Ports and the Battle for the Scheldt; Part Two - November 9 through February 15, which traces the troops settling in the Nijmegen salient near Groesbeek. Part Three - February 8 through March 10 is all about the Thirty-Day Battle for the Rhineland. And the last part covers March 11 through May 15 about Crossing the Rhine to Sever Holland from Germany. It also contains sixteen pages of twenty-nine black and white glossy photos from National Archives of Canada including a nice photo of Groesbeek Windmill taken by the author himself. Groesbeek Windmill was used by Mr. Blackburn, a Forward Observation Officer of the 4th Field Regiment with the Canadian Army, as an observation tower during winter of 1944 and 1945.

Last year in May, Mr. Blackburn took a 'sentimental journey' and attended the 60th anniversary of the VE-Day and participated in the unveiling of a commemorative plaque in Groesbeek Windmill, and memorial services at the Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery in Holland. He spoke with CTV News recalling his World War II experiences in the Netherlands saying: "We wished to God the Russians at that time would get to Berlin in time to defeat the Germans, so we wouldn't have to go back in it. But we knew that the end was going to be settled right there."

It was such a relief to read the last chapters of this World War II classic. It means the end of a nightmare and the achievement of victory, hence, "the resting of the guns." This is my very favorite from the trilogy for that simple reason alone. The last chapter of this book is entitled "The Resting of the Guns," wherein the Corps Commander, Divisional Commander, commanding officers, brigade commanders and all the infantry battalions participated in a solemn rite and saluted the guns before handing them over to the Dutch Government. The author described it as a "striking day of truth" and he was deeply touched with the simplicity and solemnity of this noble ceremony.

"As the first gun rolls slowly by, chuckling and clinking on its limber hook, there's a glowing awareness of just how deeply these cold, steel machines have endeared themselves to you. It's as though you're saying goodbye to old friends you shall never see again. . . then you hear a voice, as though from a great distance, saying: 'Well now . . . let's go and find something to drink.' And you realize the ceremony is over."

I salute Mr. Blackburn for writing his trilogy of books that are so moving and affecting, and to all his comrades, alive or deceased, for their heroic acts of courage, endurance, perseverance and bravery. They went to war to protect freedom and gain peace. They are truly the world's greatest heroes.

Mr. Blackburn is not just a good writer; he's an exceptionally great writer. He's also an award-winning composer having written a hauntingly beautiful and nostalgic "soldier's song" entitled "Are You Really There?" which he wrote for his wife, Grace Blackburn while he was in England during the war waiting for the invasion of France and overwhelmed by feelings of homesickness. The song conveys the sentiments of servicemen longing to be with their loved ones in the midst of war. The music video won three major awards: Silver Award at the 1999 Worldfest - New York, Silver Award at the 1999 Worldfest - Arizona, and Bronze Award at the 2000 CINDY Competition - California.

This book is a classic, a valuable piece of history and must be read by every generation. It merits my highest recommendation.

Not sure who all these Yankees are reviewing the quintessential Canadian war memoir, but they have good taste.

Written in the second person, this book is unique, but it doesn't end there. Blackburn has a rare ability to recall small details and the entire story rings with authenticity. His stories run the gamut, as all good war memoirs do, from the sad to the hysterically funny.

Second Canadian Division seems to have produced few authors (unlike the First Division, with Mowat taking the lead) but those few that have put pen to paper have been incredibly good. Whitaker and Williams were best when recounting the history of others, and this memoir stands out above any war memoir written by a Canadian in any single war. All three books in the trilogy are a terrific source of information about the Canadian Army in the Second World War.

And a stirring tale it is!

In a magnificent trilogy by a former junior officer in the Canadian Royal Artillery, George Blackburn records his experiences as a Forward Observation Officer (FOO), and those of the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division in general, in World War II's western European campaign. The first book, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE GUNS?, covers the training in Canada and England of Blackburn's unit, the 4th Field Artillery Regiment, from its formation in 1939 to June 1944. The second book, THE GUNS OF NORMANDY, describes the 4th Field's actions in support of the 2nd Division in northern France from early July 1944 to its arrival at the Seine River in late August. This final installment, THE GUNS OF VICTORY, chronicles the advance from the Seine into the Third Reich via the Benelux countries to VE-Day, May 8, 1945.

Should you read this series, you will, like me, come away with a heightened and supreme regard for the valor of the Canadian Army from D-Day to the end of the war and the value of massed artillery to the combat efficiency and survival of infantry units. Blackburn's personal account is perhaps the best description of men in modern war that I've ever read. The author's narrative is not a detached one. He brings you along into the mud, cold, rain, fatigue, terror, devastation, and apocalyptic arty barrages of the conflict's leading edge.

There are too many excellent passages to enumerate, but I shall give two examples.

At one point, Blackburn's observation post is in a Dutch windmill on the very border of Germany. As the Army brass plans the advance into the Reich, the author's vantage point becomes widely heralded as having the best view of the ground to be fought over, and to it, as if on pilgrimage, come the high and low, including Lt.-Gen. Guy Simonds, Commander of 2nd Canadian Corps, and Lt.-Gen. Brian Horrocks, Commander of British XXX Corps. But the interesting perception by Blackburn is the way the various officer ranks used battlefield maps.

"Corps commanders ... planning the best use of 450,000 men, swept open hands across map boards ... Division commanders and brigade commanders, reviewing the role of their brigades and battalions, stroke their maps with two fingers held together. Then come battalion commanders using a single finger for similar purposes in meetings with company commanders. But when company commanders returned with platoon commanders, maps were marked with razor-sharp pencils."

Much later, at a company command post, the author comes upon a Major Stothers and the Company Sgt.-Major opening parcels from home mailed to men already killed, the contents distributed to the survivors, and enclosed letters put into a pile.

"(Stothers) hands one across the table to you without comment. It is a hand-written note of only a few lines: 'Dear Son, the papers tell us that it is very wet where the Canadians are fighting now. So please, Dear, always be sure to wear your rubbers and keep your feet dry.' When you look up at Stothers, he tells you that her boy is the one lying dead outside the back door, face-up in the rain."

As the war's end approached, Blackburn had the reputation of being the longest surviving FOO in the Canadian Army, and 4th Field gunners, not without affection, had a pool going, the money to be won by the man who correctly predicted when the Baker Troop FOO (Blackburn) "got it". Lucky for us, George survived to pen his memoirs. By the end of the third book, I can even forgive him for writing in the second person, a quirk that, in WHERE THE HELL ARE THE GUNS?, almost put me off. But, in no one of the volumes, in the photo section of each, did the author include a wartime picture of himself. That's the only deficiency in an otherwise superb literary accomplishment.

To George, who recently celebrated his 88th birthday on February 3rd, and his comrades-in-arms, living and dead, highest honor is due.

Note: George Blackburn, through his son Mark, personally sent me all three of his books. Thank you, Sir.

Dryden and MacGregor have penned a non-fiction examination of Hockey (meant in capital letters) and how it is intertwined with Canadian life. It does a good job of exposing how both Canada and hockey are changing, and touches on topics such as the minor hockey league system, the '72 Super Series, the Gretzky trade, and our enjoyment of the game. For those hockey fans out there, it's an interesting read, even if it is nearly 20 years out of date at this time.

Give me any Ken Dryden book and three hours, and I will return with peace. I love his books about hockey. His commentary on hockey and life in Canada is true to the point. There are books that you read and then there are books that you relive. Dryden's books are expereinced. The flooded pond, the neighbor games, the eternal dream of playing in a old timers league, the continued goal of scoring another goal to win, of coming back in overtime to secure victory. I am 30 years old, and I still skate out on the practice rink with a Canadian jersey on with the imagined roar of the crowd cheering for my favorite player-Sidney Crosby-or really me. I might be 30, but my heart when it comes to hockey is still 10. This weekend I watched my nephews play hockey for the first time, one of them scored his first hockey goal ever in league play. He will never forget that goal. I know, I still live hockey, it lives in me, for I am Canadian. The cold chill of playing on cold rinks flows through my blood. It is more than hockey, it is "The Game."

Although the title causes Americans of my acquaintance to laugh, this book really does a wonderful job of examining (if not always explaining) what the game of hockey means to Canadians. If you have read "The Game" and thought there was nothing more to be said about hockey and Canada, think again.

Especial highlights are the early sections discussing small-town Saskatchewan and the importance of the rink in drawing the community together; the stories of particular players with NHL dreams; and the memories of members of Team Canada during the 1972 Summit Series. Phil Esposito, the heart of that team, is not surprisingly the guy with the best stories about what it all meant. The following section about Soviet hockey, which elevates the faceless Russkies into real guys and fellow players, is almost enough to make a Canadian root for them. (Almost.) And the writers' take on their own recreational play, and what it means to them, is illuminating and sort of touching. Once again, as in "The Game," Ken Dryden manages to depict himself as an amazingly inept Hall of Famer, always panicking under pressure and getting in the way of his defensemen -- "I could talk and chew gum at the same time, but breathing did me in." There's no false modesty here, the reader gets the impression that Dryden held himself to impossibly high standards. Still, when he explains that he now plays defense because he has fulfilled his goalie fantasies, and playing defense allows him to have new ones, it's nice to know he still enjoys the game. (And I have to admit, I howled when I got to his dry remark on playing defense and who's responsible when a goal is scored: "I've changed my mind -- it IS always the goalie's fault.")

The photos that decorate this book are equally beautiful, from the prairie kids playing on a frozen slough to the professionals displaying their remarkable ability to a member of Team Canada (1972) jumping for joy as a Russian player offers a wry yet respectful salute. The photos are grouped according to section and I find it telling that the only photo of Dryden as a Montreal Canadien is one of him and a bunch of his teammates grinning in delight at having apparently won some kind of inter-squad scrimmage trophy. This photo is grouped with the recreational player section and tells an enormous amount about how Dryden felt about the game even as a professional.

Dryden and MacGregor describe Canada as "an improbable country," and they mean that in a good way. What holds us together as a nation are the bonds we have made among ourselves, and hockey is one of those bonds. I was reminded of that this year during the Stanley Cup playoffs, when a mailing list I subscribed to for the CBC news reminded subscribers of schedule changes because "there's hockey tonight." I hadn't watched much hockey in years but somehow, living in Texas surrounded by US culture, it felt like home to watch Larry Robinson hoist the Cup once again.

These are two great hockey writers, and they have produced a book that, even ten years later, is a joy.

I can see why Canadians love there game so much through this group of essays they are very interesting I wish americans loved hockey as much as the Canadians do then I wouldn't be the only hockey fan I know

"So what can a 10-year-old book on ice hockey really teach me about the sport and Canada?" I wondered as I started Home Game. The answer is pretty much everything. Dryden, who writes in a delightfully unhurried style, takes us through the game as it is played by enthusiastic amateurs, by teenagers desperate to break into the NHL and by the professionals themselves. And by probing how hockey took root here, Dryden provides the best analysis of what it means to be Canadian that I have ever read. My job in Ottawa is to explain Canada to the outside world and of all the tomes I have read so far, this must be the most illuminating. Rarely do you come across a book which so clearly explains what fires the soul of a country. Buy it now!

An invaluable resource for all students. As a writer of a fictional account involving the Klondike Gold Rush, it was invaluable to me, as are all of Pierre Berton's works. Only one thing missing, or perhaps not very clear, is timeline - a month or even year when certain episodes happened. A lot of stories go back and forth. But those true stories involving such colorful characters are priceless, and Pierre Berton sure knows how to tell them!

THE book on the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-99. Berton tells the story in chronological order, beginning with the pre-Gold Rush period when individual prospectors roamed the Yukon River territory looking for El Dorado. A million dollars worth of gold was hauled out of Circle City, an early camp, in 1896; a year later they would do the same in a matter of weeks in Dawson City, a few hundred miles up the Yukon from Circle City. Of course, after the big strike was made on Rabbit Creek in August 1896, Circle City was emptied of its population by the spring. Gold camp communities that had lived and thrived under a well-understood frontier code lost their cohesiveness; the thousands of outsiders rushing into the Klondike could never abide by such a code.

Berton relates the human interest stories, too. The infamous Soapy Smith, the dictator of Skagway, is here, as are the thousands of crazies who came north to the Arctic Circle underclothed, unprepared, unprovisioned, full of the gold fever. Things got so bad by the winter of '97 that the government had to appropriate $200,000 for those in the Yukon to prevent mass starvation. And still they came, heading up the Chilkoot Pass like ants. It was called a stampede, but progress was so slow it seemed anything but. Only the outbreak of the Spanish-American War put an end to it, along with the discovery of gold in Nome.

It's an exciting story, the last gold rush anyone will ever see. Factual, without unnecessary hype, Berton's book is an excellent account of this period in history. Highly recommended.

I consider this the definitive book on the Klondike Gold Rush. Interesting, informative, highly entertaining and hugely enjoyable, the book covers all the drama from the first discovery to the last days of the Klondike Kings. You don't have to be a Klondike enthusiast to enjoy this book, because Berton is first and foremost a storyteller, and the historical facts come alive in his writing.

I've read this book at least 9 times, and it inspired me to backpack the Chilkoot Trail. It's not just one of the best history books I've ever read - it's one of the best books, period, that I've ever read. Enjoy!

As a Canadian living away from home, I never miss an opportunity to read a book by Pierre Berton. Berton had a talent for making History come alive in a way that is rare not only among Canadian authors, but indeed is rarely equaled and certainly not surpassed by any other author I have encountered abroad.

Klondike is one of those books that is so well constructed and written that you forget you are reading History and instead are absorbed into the story-line as if you were reading a first-rate novel. Burton develops the story-line and characters so that you are drawn into the history and come to appreciate the facts of the era and location. The people become real. You leave having experienced history instead of just having been served warmed over facts with a few theories as to how they tie together.

Despite the difference in genre, reading Burton's account of the Gold Rush in the North is every bit as entertaining as reading Farley Mowat or Jack London.

I recommend this book highly. It is a good introduction to Berton, to the Canadian North, the history of the Yukon, and a good primer before you launch into the other great books of Berton if you have never read him before!

For those of us whose knowledge of the Klondike Gold Rush comes mostly from the 1950s radio drama, "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon" this is a fine book to read. (Trivia question: What was the name of Sergeant Preston's preternaturally intelligent huskie?) This is a revised and updated version of the book "Klondike Fever" published in 1958. Read "Klondike" if possible, although the earlier "Klondike Fever" is still perfectly readable. The maps are much better in this edition.

This Gold Rush, named after the Klondike River in the Yukon territory of Canada, was the last great scramble for gold in the old West. One hundred thousand persons, mostly from the U.S., set out for the Klondike in 1897, 30,000 or 40,000 got there, after an arduous journey through killing winter snows, and a few hundred found gold. The stories of the long, hard journey into this Arctic wilderness are often horrific. In one party of 19 men, 15 died or were killed along the route and the other four had eyes damaged by snow blindness. The gold seekers included author Jack London, Wyatt Earp, and poet Joaquin Miller. By late-summer 1899, "one of the weirdest and most useless mass movements in history" was over. Most of the gold seekers went home to live normal lives, although a few moved on to the beaches of Nome, Alaska where gold could be picked up among the grains of sand.

The author tells a compelling tale of the men and women who participated in the Klondike Gold Rush. It was indeed a fever. The characters in this book include crusty old miners who suddenly became rich beyond their wildest dreams, stalwart, incorruptible Canadian Mounties, conmen like Soapy Smith -- who in the dramatic tradition of the West receives his just deserts -- prostitutes, madams, gamblers, angels of mercy, last-chance losers, rich adventurers, Indians, and missionaries. It's a fascinating read, based on research that included interviews with many of the oldtimers who lived to talk to the author in the 1950s. The author's standard of truth telling is high; he identifies a tall tale or an unlikely exaggeration when he finds them.

The text would be enhanced if there were photographs, but I doubt you'll find a better book about the Klondike Gold Rush. Oh, yes, Sergeant Preston's dog was named "Yukon King."

Smallchief