Titles

The Canadian Canoe Company
by Ken Brown

The Canadian Canoe Company and the Early Peterborough Canoe Factories examines the history of canoe building in an intriguing way, by telling the story of the business of canoe manufacturing. While impeccably researched, this book is much more than a business history. It brings to life stories and entrepreneurs once lost in business legers and historical documents. By focusing on the origins and fortunes of one of Peterborough's local canoe companies, author Ken Brown presents a broader narrative, one that ranges from the early days, when creative canoe-building pioneers first began to practice their craft in the region, through the glory days of the industry, when ambitious manufacturing concerns distributed many thousands of "Peterborough" and "Canadian" canoes around the globe.

The tales and pictures in this heavily illustrated text will appeal to many interests. Cottagers and boating enthusiasts will enjoy a glimpse into how canoe manufacturers served and fed the fledgling leisure industries that are now so prominent in the Kawarthas. Boat builders will like the reproduced catalogue pages and the information on popular canoe designs. For the history buff, the story of how the early boat shops developed into an industry that came to provide one of Canada's first luxury exports could be the central draw, although anyone interested in local history will also feel the book's appeal.

So sit back and let Ken Brown take you on a trip through the historical currents of a nineteenth-century Peterborough industry that achieved global acclaim.

"I must congratulate you on a fine piece of work. The book is very well done indeed." - John Summers, The Canadian Canoe Museum

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Publication date is September 2011. Click here for prepublication orders.

To Hong Kong and Back
by Lachlan B. MacQuarrie

Much more than a personal memoir, To Hong Kong and Back introduces readers to the developing field of social welfare in the Canadian military (1953-1970), to the role of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service in the coordination of that region's private social agencies (1970-1973), and to the emergence of domestic postsecondary social work training in Hong Kong (1973-1987).

The author documents the early days of professional Canadian military social work, describes the role of RCAF social welfare during the heady days of Canada's contributions to the United Nations, and weighs in on the benefits and difficulties of unification in the Canadian Armed Forces. But is is probably his professional and personal experiences in Hong Kong that are the most intriguing. Serving as the Director of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and subsequently as the founding principal of Hong Kong's Institute for Social Work Training and the first department head of the Hong Kong Polytechnic's School of Social Work, he was well placed to record both the evolution of social welfare in Hong Kong and the beginnings of professional social work education there. In fact, he often played a leadership role in both.

Add to this side trips describing his wartime experiences in the RCAF; life and travel in Canada's north, post-war Europe, and the Pacific Rim; and his work in addiction research and for the Alzheimer's Society and Lachlan MacQuarrie's journey is well worth taking.

"Equal parts travel memoir and social history, To Hong Kong and Back is a fascinating look at the evolution of social welfare through the eyes of a thoughtful and observant participant. As one reads about MacQuarrie's travels and the work that prompted them, one is struck by the wealth of knowledge accumulated in a life well lived." - Laura Farina, Canadian poet and author of This Woman Alphabetical.

Trent, McGill, and the North
by Peter Adams

This is a very personal book, a sort of "my life and times in the North." However, it is intended as a serious illustration of Canada's progress, over the last fifty years, as a sovereign Arctic nation....This personal tale is about one aspect of the development of Canada's capacity for Arctic sovereignty, a national system of cold weather and polar science and technology that generates, generation after generation, people with an interest in and knowledge of things Arctic, indeed of things polar.

This is also a book about research on and teaching about Canada's North from the 1950s to the beginning of the twenty-first century. At the beginning of the period, air photo coverage, and therefore map coverage, was limited and incomplete. Travel to and in the North was slow and difficult, but, from today's vantage point, it was a much simpler world. At the end of the period, map and satellite coverage is complete and detailed and air travel in the North is easy, but some aspects of life and sovereignty in the North are much more complicated.

"Peter Adams and I share a lifelong interest in, and passion for, the North. He lived and worked in the North throughout his adult life. I was Minister of Northern Affairs for many years and maintained a special interest in this region while Prime Minister. Peter's observations on climate change and Arctic sovereignty were a valuable contribution to House of Commons' debates. I am delighted that he has written this book as it explores issues that are extremely relevant today." - The Right Hon. Jean Chrétien, Prime Minister of Canada, 1993-2003

"Peter Adams has brought his long experience as a researcher, academic, and parliamentarian to bear on a subject of great importance and current interest: Canada's North. His insights are illuminating and his views are authoritative. Canadians interested in Canada's role as a responsible sovereign polar nation must hear what Peter has to say." - The Hon. John Manley, formerly Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada

Passion for Love and Happiness
by Dr. A. A. Syed

In Passion for Love and Happiness, Dr. A. A. Syed blends the best of Eastern and Western philosophy and wisdom to give practical guidance that is, at the same time, inspiring and uplifting. Dr. Syed, who was born in Hyderabad, India and emigrated to Canada in 1982, is in a unique position to unite these spiritual and cultural traditions and to use them to help others learn about the process of achieving contentment. As a practicing specialist in respirology and in internal and critical care medicine, Dr. Syed can also draw on this personal, pragmatic experiences with life-and-death choices to teach us to live life to the fullest, to laugh, love, learn, and listen --- to our own hearts and to others --- so we can attain the mental and ethical discipline that enables us to forgive, to let go of pain and suffering, and to be our very best selves..

"Reading Dr. Syed's exquisitely simple interpretations of timeless philosophies has helped me cope with personal tragedies. It has changed my "give up" attitude, with living with terminal cancer, to one of calmness, of achieving a positive and loving outlook. The victim in me has now not only been rescued, but has become a rescuer in the process! Don't just read the words --- DO IT." - Carolyn Fallis-Hale

"A must read for all spouses to improve their loving relationships." - Syeda Syed