1 comments about Boondoggles Bonanzas and Other Alberta Stories.

1. Brian Brennan has delivered a collection of stories that help define a culture, featuring some of the characters, catastrophes and intigues that helped shape Alberta.
   He has the knack for recognizing the lasting significance of a current event. He knows when he's in the middle of history in the making.
   It's a wonderful, wacky, made-in-Alberta stew.

No comments about Étienne Brulé (Amazing Stories).

1 comments about Wingwalkers: The Story of Canadian Airlines International.

1. Amazing research built into a story of interesting pioneers transforming a bush pilot airline into a an airline that is now recognized World wide despite government interests in promoting the "National Carrier's as the chosen one.

   An example of entrepreneurs and private enterprise struggling to survive.

   I feel all Canadian employees should read this to appreciate where the airline has come from and that it has survived far more difficult times than those it currently still faces. As a supporter of Canadian and past passenger of Canadian Pacific, Pacific Western and Ward Air I found it most interesting.

1 comments about A Day in the Life of a Colonial Sailmaker (Library of Living and Working in Colonial Times).

1. Growing up in Philadelphia, James Forton was the son of free black parents. His father made sails for the ships. After his father's death, James has some exciting and frightening adventures during the Revolution! In 1784, he fulfills his dream of becoming an apprentice sailmaker and then a foreman who later was able to own the shop. James Forton became on of the richest men in Philadelphia. He never neglected his own people, and used his own home as a hiding place for escaped slaves.
   
   The process of sailmaking is described with numerous illustrations and photographs. This is accurate history, entertainingly presented with a website for further study.

No comments about Freshwater Saga: Memoirs of a Lifetime of Wilderness Canoeing in Canada.

2 comments about Arms and the Man: Dr. Gerald Bull, Iraq and The Supergun.

1. This is a great read, even for those who know nothing about the exploits of Dr Gerry Bull. Dr Bull was a flawed genius - a passionate and driven ballistics visionary responsible for the design of many of the worlds deadliest artillery cannons, and yet he was politically naive, inspirational to his colleagues, and a practical joker. He provoked both deep loyalty in his friends and deep hatred in his enemies. The latter would lead to his assassination. He died during his work on Project Babylon - a cannon several hundred metres long!
   
   This book delivers on many fronts: it is well researched and provides in depth information about the superguns that Dr Bull hoped could send small satelites into space, it also delves into his personal life, and takes the reader into the shady and nervous underworld of illegal arms dealings that Gerald Bull wound up in by circumstance.
   
   William Lowther has written with great passion and produced a book that will captivate you and make you want to tell Dr Bull's story to everyone you meet.



2. This is a fascinating look at the life of a true genius whose path took him, inevitably, to Saddam's door. His dream of producing a gun capable of putting a satellite into orbit was twisted into a weapon for the Iraqi regime. Reads like an espionage novel, although it slows down a bit when talking about the businesses and fronts used to get the weapon's parts into Iraq. Otherwise, a really good read!

1 comments about No Fixed Address: Life in the Foreign Service.

1. My wife and I found this book to be invaluable. As a Military Officer, we move every three years. This book moves through the joys and heartaches of such a lifestyle and provides gold nuggets of information to keep you and your family sane during the more trying times of transition. Recommend to all who don't have a "fixed address"

No comments about Rocke Robertson: Surgeon and Shepherd of Change.

1 comments about Cargo of Lies: The True Story of a Nazi Double Agent in Canada.

1. Anyone interested in thehistory of nazi espionage will find that this book is a must-read. Absolutely riveting. Highly recommended.

No comments about Toronto Architect Edmund Burke: Redefining Canadian Architecture.