This book intentionally looks at the gone and nearly-gone elements of railroading in Canada. Semaphores, passenger trains, 40-foot grain boxcars, Prarie branchlines, the Spadina Avenue Roundhouse, paint schemes, nothing that lives on short time seems to have escaped the cameras of Mr. McDonnell or his henchmen. From crisp black and whites of steam engines in a roundhouse, juxtaposed with a scrapper cutting one of them apart a year later to GMD1s tiptoeing across the Prarie to the BC Rail M630 recovered from the bottom of a lake, this book wears nostalgia on its sleeve. I never got a sense of melancholy or loss in the writing, but rather celebration of recording "what is" while understanding that it is soon to become "what was." The book made me more aware that I need to record certain things for my own collection of posterity before there are no more chances left. One other thing to mention---this is the rare volume that devotes more space to the Maritimes than to British Columbia. Not that I have anything BC, y'understand, I've vacationed there three times, it's just that *no one* goes to the Maritimes and *everyone* goes to BC.

Photo selection is extremely strong. There is an excellent blend of scenic shots, where the train is distant, as well as close-ups. There are many night shots, plus quite a few inside roundhouses, where lighting conditions are challenging. Mr. McDonnell's own contributions were notable, stylistically, because of a tendency to frame the train or other subject from within a building (looking out a window, for example). I liked the shot on page 125 of a string of 40-foot boxcars on a soon-to-be-abandoned branch shot from inside a collapsed farm building. The human element is certainly not ignored, and there are several strong photos of dispatchers, engine crewmen, even a guy loading a grain box. Reproduction is uniformly excellent.

"Passing Trains" should be your next purchase if you don't already have it, your next read if you've bought it and haven't read it yet, or your next re-read when you wonder why you should get out of bed at 4 a.m. to drive to BFE, Indiana. This book is why.

ONe of the best Canadian Railway books in recent years. Well worth the price

this is one of my favourite atwood collections, and one of the few books of poetry that i can (and want) to read every minute of the day.

atwood can capture human relationships, romantic relationships, conflict, love and the play for power all in a single stanza, line or even individual word. this collection is page after page of language so outstanding that you wish you were born from atwood's mind; no one else has the piercing insights and the flawless word choice to describe them that this woman does. if she can't blow you away, no one will.

The idea of poetry written about intimacy may make some readers shudder. One might think it is even a cliché, but no matter who the objective logical thinker is, they are forced to admit there's a tiny part of them who has lived and breathed a relationship of power struggle, one that might have had them seizing and submitting to the core of their innermost thoughts. Love that has left them in doubt and strengthened the self in ways that only passion can accomplish.

As Atwood writes, "....and there isn't anything I want to do about the fact that you are unhappy and sick, you aren't sick and unhappy, only alive and stuck with it." She opens up to her readers those personal witticisms we have thought towards are own "unhappy relationships" while throwing in insightful humor and wild imagery, breaking the rules of all poets with her fascinating rhythms and adjectives. If you are missing this collection of poetry from your Atwood repertoire, you are missing the heart of Margaret, her furious meticulousness and unlikely metaphors aimed into the bloodied heart of an adoration and boredom for her unlikely male worshipper. This book is an absolute must read, must own and an altogether pleasure to read.

"I raise the magic fork over the plate of beef fried rice, and plunge it into your heart." - from "They Eat Out" (Power Politics)

Often it seems that even well written fictional accounts do not get my blood racing and my stomach flipping, but Chic Scott has managed to do this in Pushing the Limits. Through this book I have gained a real sense of the mental make-up necessary to being a serious mountaineer. This book is as enjoyable a read as I've come across in recent years.

This book is a joy to read and a "must have" as a reference book that tells you all you would like to know and more about the history of mountaineering in Canada. Beautifully published with many pictures of the "greats and near greats" of the Canadian mountaineering scene since it all began in the mid 1800's. Chic Scott has produced a book that has already become a classic in mountain literature.

This 1962 book has a Foreword by Ian Fleming ("James Bond is not in fact a hero, but an efficient and not very attractive blunt instrument in the hands of government ... a highly romanticized version of the true spy") who first met William Stephenson ("A Man Called Intrepid") when he was on a mission to Washington in 1941. Stephenson was sent to New York in 1940 to protect British shipping of war material (and to gather information on enemy activities for appropriate counter-measures), and to promote public opinion in favor of American intervention on the side of Britain. Any offensive actions would have to remain secret. This was part of Economic Warfare.

Chapter 2 documents the important political decisions made at the time by President Roosevelt and others in 1940. Fifty coal burning destroyers were sent to Britain at a critical time. The Sperry bomb-sight was leased after they learned the Germans had the plans. Chapter 3 tells of the propaganda campaign to discredit isolationists and Nazi supporters, and the methods used to cripple or harass German officials. Censorship of the mails was used to track down spies and saboteurs. Chapter 4 tells of the intrigues with the Vichy French government. The personal secretary of the Vichy ambassador was recruited into a business to gain knowledge of his affairs. This was used to discredit the Embassy. A British agent was placed in close contact with the Embassy to gain information from her male friends.

Chapter 5 tells of the Special Operations of economic warfare: to manufacture evidence of the facts believed to be true but which could not otherwise be proved! They had a laboratory to fabricate letters and other documents. The imprint of any typewrite on earth could be reproduced faultlessly. It tells how letters were created to condemn a Czech collaborator! Another game was to subject Fascist sympathizers to petty persecution to waste time in confusion, and get them into trouble. It tells how a forged letter was created to cause the cancellation of the Italian airline franchise, an important Axis channel of communication. Brazil then broke with the Axis. Chapter 6 tells of the OSS during WW2. Stephenson did everything to help Donovan get the position. The new organization faced two bureaucratic rivals: the FBI, and the military intelligence departments. It was mainly through the assistance of BSC that they survived. Intelligence and other trained experts were put at Donovan's disposal. It explains how a short-wave station in Boston was used to broadcast propaganda.

Chapter 7 repeats various anecdotes from the war. They used astrological predictions for propaganda! The techniques to use polling to control voting and win elections was written in 1943 by David Ogilvy. Since then the US Government has used these techniques both overtly and covertly. It tells how stories were given to principal journalists and feature writers, and how columnist Drew Pearson acquired information. Chapter 8 tells how President Roosevelt sent a message to Stephenson on November 27: "Japanese negotiations off. Services expect action within two weeks". How this happened is a matter of history. There is a discussion on the use and value of double agents. He tells of the training given to secret agents at Oshawa. Sabotage to French locomotives alone nearly equaled the number disabled by air action. The information from a Soviet code clerk in Canada exposed their spy system. The final tribute was that the BSC helped to reduce the number of American casualties.

Does this book show how a small group shapes and controls the events that affect our lives?

This was published in America as "Room 3603" in 1963, with a forword by Ian Fleming (who worked for the British Security Co-ordination); this was one of the first books on the British secret service with official blessing.

The head of this operation was Sir William Stephenson, the man whose code name was INTREPID. It tells of his efforts to neutralize and defeat the Nazis in South and North America, before America entered the war. After "A Man Called Intrepid" became a best-seller in 1976, it was republished. It provides more history than the few pages in the later book. There are many interesting stories in this book.

One of them is how they forged a typewritten document to create a political scandal. The document was on microfilm; this prevents authentication thru fingerprints, ink and paper composition, etc. A picture of a thing is not the thing.

Another is the use of created gossip, and other dirty tricks, to harass the opposition. Watergate was an example of this: Nixon's agents originally broke in to plant forged documents; they were caught when they broke in a second time to retrieve these false documents.

Perhaps the most important is "how to use polling techniques to predetermine elections", a method used by our federal government "both overtly and secretly". Details are lacking in this book because this was still classified information. But you can read more in the "Propaganda At Work" chapter.

The most revealing fact is how Sir William Stephenson used these efforts to gain commerce for his own business.

i am currently reading 'the shadow maker' again, and i'm even more consumed than the first time. i'd like to take this opportunity to tell potential readers/buyers that this book is NOT out of print...

This intriguing book tells about the early life of Margaret Atwood in great detail, and then skims through the last couple of decades. Rosemary Sullivan has done a remarkable job of recreating the '40's, '50's, '60's and '70's, and how they influenced (and eventually were influenced by!) Canada's #1 writer. Having interviewed Atwood, many of her friends and associates, ex-husband and present husband, and also using contemporary correspondence, Sullivan seems to have an authentic understanding of how Atwood developed into such an amazing, prolific writer. Always respectful, Sullivan keeps her focus on what in Atwood's life is relevant to her as a writer. This is a very intelligently written biography, with an incredible amount of research and very astute analyses, and should be a satisfying read for any fan of Margaret Atwood's, without feeling like you have invaded her privacy.

This exercise plan really is easier done than said. You can feel the benefit from day one, and you never get sore.

I first came across this book when I was in the American Air Force in 1974, it was used in Basic Training for the girls in the service. I loved the ease with which it could be followed, and the great results it achieved in toning and strengthening my body. It is applicable to women of all ages, and of all athletic capabilities, giving you an exercise plan from easy to hard at your own pace. It is too bad that it is out of print. It is more effective than most other exercise plans and requires no equipment at all.

For anyone stumbling upon this book by accident, I feel it's my duty to point out that Sarah Binks is a fictional character. This mock biography is satire, and pretty good satire at that--for example, Binks' untimely death occurs when she bites a horse thermometer in half and succumbs to mercury poisoning. The horse thermometer was awarded to her as a prize for one of her spectacularly bad poems. The entire book is a parody of rural life in Canada.

Paul Hiebert is best known as a writer of light humour. As such, his suitability as a biographer of a brilliant poet could be questioned. Readers may be reassured that the treatment given Ms. Binks' life and works is serious indeed, as it should be. Possibly the best feature of this biography is that the poems of the 'Sweet Songstress of Saskatchewan' are set in the context of each crucial phase of her career: her upbringing, adolescence, young womanhood, and maturity. This context is critical for a deeper understanding of her work. For example, the knowledge that 'Dog's Heaven' was written shortly after the tragic death of her canine companion adds a rich poigniance that could not be gained from the reading of this brilliant poem in a mere anthology. This biography is a piece of 'Canadiana' (hateful term!) to the extent that Ralph Ellison's 'Invisible Man' is merely a statement of mid-twentieth century Black culture. Sarah Binks, like Ellison, speaks for all humanity. Hiebert's biography brings her to life as a vibrant and feeling woman.

I hiked. I saw. I loved it

During an expedition to the Canadian Rockies, our trails research crew picked up the recent edition of SKI TRAILS by Chris Scott. We found this guidebook to be invaluable for route planning. Mr. Scott's detailed trail notes and local insights were most helpful.

Although I was reading a book, I felt like a fly on the wall of a cocktail party attended by Canadian actors. I buzzed around the room eavesdropping on groups of actors telling hilarious, intimate stories of life on the stage and before the cameras.

Standing Naked in the Wings is a book of actors' anecdotes written by 250 contributing actors including Jenifer Dale, Al Waxman, Dave Broadfoot, Gordon Pinsent, Sarah Polley, Frank Shuster, Michael Ironside, Martin Short, Lynne Griffin, Gordon Clapp, Christopher Plummer, Sonja Smits.

Editors Lynda Mason Green and Tedde Moore have woven the 450 contributions into 17 chapters covering themes such as auditions, mentors, kids and animals, missed cues and other mistakes, bodily functions, tours, early days, and the moving "Family Album". This chapter includes the letter Nicholas Pennell, a veteran of 23 seasons at the Stratford Festival, delivered to the Shakespearean company two days before his death.

The book's title is taken from a story in which Bruce Greenwood describes how he was literally standing naked in the wings while performing in Bent at the Arts Club in Vancouver. The Comedy of errors that transpired "bears an uncanny similarity to nightmares I've had," Greenwood writes.

What a fun book! It's like being the fly on the wall, listening to your favorite actors telling stories, on themselves, their friends and contemporaries. It captures many great (and not so great) moments in Canadian film, TV and theatre. They share their joys, fears, embarrassing moments, poignant memories and a wonderful sense of history. I had read some of the tales online over the last year or so, and the finished product is truly a treat. The only thing, in my opinion, that would make it better, is to have more of the contemporary actors we're seeing on TV, but perhaps there's a sequel there. :)

I bought this book last March to recreate some favorite dishes for my French Canadian boyfriend here in Los Angeles. We have made several dishes together, and all were proclaimed a great success (by him, the expert taster!). It is an enjoyable book as well, dividing the culinary landscape into regions with intros etc. that made me more educated about Quebec regional cooking. I highly recommend this book.

French-Canadians and New England's Franco-Americans will be delighted with the presentation in this supberb cookbook because the recipes reflect the traditions of the French culture in North America. Pictures are beautiful and a history of each dish is provided.