2023 Book & Gift Guide

Hockey has a curious connection to editorial cartooning and sports illustration, one as old and storied as the game itself. Picturing the Game transports fans into the mischievous world of caricature through the rough drafts of hockey history, showcasing the gifted, forward-thinking graphic journalists throughout hockey’s history.

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Richard Harrington was a renowned Canadian documentary photographer who travelled to more than 120 countries. Some of his most memorable photographs were captured between 1947 and 1953, when Harrington took five expeditions to the Arctic. Richard Harrington: Arctic Photography is a curated selection of some of Harrington's most stirring and compelling photographs.

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This beautifully illustrated book shares the rich history of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on its 100th anniversary. Produced in partnership with the RCAF Foundation, Pathway to the Stars tells the story of the people, the technologies, and the events that shaped the RCAF from 1924 to 2024.

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A century ago, Winnipeg physician T.G. Hamilton and his wife, trained nurse Lilliam Hamilton, began documenting and photographing seances held in their home laboratory. Their extensive study of the survival of human consciousness after death resulted in a stunning collection of hundreds of photographs, contextualized, investigated, and displayed here for the first time in The Art of Ectoplasm.

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The most extensive illustrated history of Canadian Pacific ever published, with more than 400 images in full colour.

“A complete social history, beautifully illustrated with photos, posters, maps, letters, and ads, which bring the story of Canadian Pacific’s effects vividly to life.” — Derek Hayes, author of Iron Road West

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Arctic historian Ken McGoogan approaches the legacy of nineteenth-century explorer Sir John Franklin from a contemporary perspective. Drawing on his own research and Inuit oral accounts, McGoogan teases out many intriguing aspects of Franklin’s expeditions, including the explorer’s lethal hubris in ignoring the expert advice of the Dene leader Akaitcho. Searching for Franklin is sure to captivate readers.

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A history of wildlife and land conservation in Saskatchewan through the life story of environmentalist, naturalist, farmer, and former Minister of Environment and Resource Management Lorne Scott. A book that challenges and inspires us to be stewards of the environment in our own backyards and communities, and, above all, to never be complacent when it comes to protecting the natural world.

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Shovels Not Rifles is historical fiction about a young Black soldier named Will and his experiences in the No. 2 construction Battalion in the First World War. The man from Nova Scotia slowly faces the harsh realities of the war, including learning that the members of Canada’s only all-Black battalion are not allowed to fight on the front lines.

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In the most intimate volume yet about prolific Canadian painter E.J. Hughes, the artist’s official biographer Robert Amos brings us Life at the Lake, capturing the years Hughes and his wife Fern spent at their home on Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island.

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“With her usual keen eye for the telling detail and her sympathy for her subjects, [Gray] argues for the importance of the statesmen’s relationships with their two very different but forceful mothers.” — Margaret MacMillan, New York Times bestselling author

This captivating dual biography of two famous women whose sons would change the course of history is the latest by award-winning historian Charlotte Gray.

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The Notorious Georges is an engaging exploration of the alchemy of community identity and reputation in Prince George, B.C., once branded Canada’s most-dangerous city.

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Winner of the 2023 Toronto Book Awards. Lavishly illustrated with over 100 reproductions from the J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art, Moving the Museum invites readers to engage with issues of land, water, transformation, and sovereignty while contemplating the historic and future representation of Indigenous and Canadian art in museums.

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The story of a mid-century working-class housewife whose extraordinary physical transformation empowered her to become a dynamic social activist who fuelled a movement to create a more inclusive future for people with disabilities.

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Histoire devient poésie grâce aux textes d’explorateurs, de missionnaires, de cartographes et autres inclassables qui voyaient pour la première fois la spectaculaire étendue du fleuve Saint-Laurent qui baigne l’Ontario. Le tome I avait reçu le prix du Gouverneur général (Études et essais).

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Decolonizing Sport tells the stories of sport colonizing Indigenous Peoples and of Indigenous Peoples using sport to decolonize. Spanning several lands — Turtle Island, the U.S., Australia, Aotearoa/New Zealand and Kenya — the authors demonstrate the two sharp edges of sport in the history of colonialism.

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Uncover the legacy of Philip Hankin, the man whose name graces landmarks like Hankin Island off the coast of Ucluelet within the famous Pacific Rim National Park, Vancouver Island’s looming Mount Hankin, and Hankin Point nestled in the San Juan Islands. Bestselling author Geoff Mynett presents the fascinating life of this lesser-known but influential historical figure.

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Leading architect E.J. Lennox designed Casa Loma for the flamboyant Sir Henry Pellatt and Mary, Lady Pellatt as an enormous castellated mansion that overlooked the booming metropolis of Toronto. The first scholarly book dedicated to this Canadian landmark, Casa Loma situates the famous “house on the hill” within Toronto’s architectural, urban, and cultural history.

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Illuminating the First Nations struggles against the Canadian state, It’s All about the Land exposes how racism underpins and shapes Indigenous-settler relationships. Renowned Kahnawà:ke Mohawk activist and scholar Taiaiake Alfred explains how the Canadian government’s reconciliation agenda is a new form of colonization that is guaranteed to fail.

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This delightful picture book tells us how the legendary career of Gordie Howe began: with a single hockey skate. Gordie’s Skate is an ode to the love of hockey and a tale of how people came to depend on one another during the Great Depression — and how kids created their own fun.

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“One of Canada’s pre-eminent documentary photographers” — Canadian Geographic

Toronto as Community: 50 Years of Photographs represents more than fifty years of photography by Vincenzo Pietropaolo, whose life’s passion has been to photograph Toronto, its people, and its buildings. The photographs document the daily life of ordinary citizens, at work, at play, in celebration, in protest, and in mourning, and are grouped around short essays. These images will provoke the reader’s sense of nostalgia, inviting reflection on the city that once was, how it became the city it is, and how it continues to develop and grow into a city of our imaginations.

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These beautifully illustrated stories of natural history in 19th-century Canada are about the curious men and women who crossed the oceans from Europe to explore, map, draw, puzzle about, collect and exhibit nature in Canada. Informed by French, British and Indigenous naturalists, they tried to understand what they saw.

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Exploring the rich historical grounding of Indigenous peoples’ grassroots organizing developed through resistance and community work, Indigenous Resistance & Development in Winnipeg 1960–2000 traces Indigenous city development through the decades, encompassing generations of Indigenous community organizers. It is the first book that recounts Winnipeg history exclusively through the impactful development and resistance work of Indigenous people and organizations.

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D’Arcy Jones Architects’ projects develop through a design process centred around human comfort. The book presents renovations and conversions that emphasize the materiality and pure volume of older buildings, as well as new builds that explore modern civility and emphasize their natural settings. Includes essays by Trevor Boddy, Andrew Gruft, and Christine Macy.

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The reputation of E. J. Hughes in British Columbia is second only to that of Emily Carr. Hughes painted scenes from all over B.C., but he especially loved Vancouver Island, and lived most of his 93 years at Shawnigan Lake and Duncan. He recorded the passing of an era, capturing the coastal steamships, log booms, fishing boats, and the landscapes he treasured.

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A critical analysis of Canada’s 13-year involvement in the war in Afghanistan. How and why Canada went to war in Afghanistan, what Canadians were doing on the ground, and why the effort failed to achieve any of its aims — military, humanitarian, or diplomatic.

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Lha yudit’ih We Always Find a Way is a community oral history of Tsilhqot’in Nation v. British Columbia, the first case in Canada to result in a declaration of Aboriginal Rights and Title to a specific piece of land. Told from the perspective of the plaintiff, Chief Roger William, joined by fifty Xeni Gwet’ins, Tŝilhqot’ins, and allies, this book encompasses ancient stories of creation, modern stories of genocide through smallpox and residential school, and stories of resistance, including the twenty-five-year battle in Canadian courts.

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Hughes gives the reader a tactile and cinematic experience of the North in this remarkable tale highlighted with archival photos.

“With the help of both Laing’s and Lambart’s diaries, Hughes delivers two adventure stories for the price of one. Two men, a naturalist and a mountaineer, offer the reader a visceral experience of the North and its mighty landscapes.” — Vancouver Sun

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Discover the rich history of textile artwork on the Canadian Prairie with some of Canada’s most important scholars of craft in Prairie Interlace. Recapturing and recording lost histories, this is the story of a diverse group of artists who created a movement that, until now, has gone nearly undocumented.

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Built in 1913, the Canadian Pacific Railway's steamship Princess Maquinna travelled up and down the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island in summer and winter, calm weather and storms, for over forty years, and has become one of the most beloved boats in B.C.’s maritime history. Ian Kennedy brings the history of this ship to life with rich detail, recalling a time when this remote part of British Columbia was alive with mines, canneries and now-forgotten settlements.

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A collection of reminiscences from the daily lives of seven Cree women over the past century, presented in Cree and English. Recorded in their own language, the women share memories of their lives and the history of their peoples, providing insights into the traditional teachings of a society in which the practical and spiritual are never far apart.

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Laughing Back at Empire is a groundbreaking examination of The Asianadian, one of Canada’s first anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-homophobic magazines. This small but mighty magazine led a nationwide dialogue on the issues that concerned Asians in Canada and established a platform for Asian-Canadian writers, artists, musicians, activists, and scholars including Joy Kogawa and Jim Wong-Chu.

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Beautiful woven all-silk necktie — burgundy with small silver beaver images throughout. Also available as a bowtie. Made exclusively for Canada’s History.

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The first ever history of Second World War hospital trains and the dedicated doctors and nurses on board who risked their lives treating patients from all sides of the conflict.

“Fascinating and well researched. Alexandra Kitty presents history that must be preserved.” — Patricia W. Sewell (Collier), editor of Healers in World War ll

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Valerie Jerome’s Races tells the story of a family of Olympians: her grandfather John “Army” Howard, Canada’s first Black Olympian; her brother Harry; and herself. An inside track on an under-told story about race and sports in Canada, Races sets the record straight on her family’s history and the racism they fought along the way.

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In What Television Remembers, Jennifer VanderBurgh explores the long relationship between TV and the city of Toronto. From the first demonstration of television at the Canadian National Exhibition in 1939 and the mass viewing of Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation broadcast in 1953 to the late-century installation of TV screens in public spaces around the city, television has shaped Toronto’s collective imagination.

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Business the NHL Way draws on hockey-inspired stories to show how brands, institutions, and individuals associated with the NHL have consistently survived a variety of challenges and thrived as a result of its decisions. Business the NHL Way will appeal to both casual and passionate hockey fans, as well as anyone eager to follow in the footsteps of a successful professional sports organization.

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E. J. Hughes (1913–2007) is British Columbia’s best-loved landscape painter. Author and artist Robert Amos tracks the footsteps of Hughes as he travelled throughout mainland British Columbia, from Stanley Park to Savary Island, from the Fraser Valley to the Okanagan, and from the Kootenays to the Rockies between the 1930s and 1970s.

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This intimate story of one settler’s journey toward reconciliation reveals the rich potential that comes from learning to listen and change — decolonization not as to-do list, but as a lived experience of taking one awkward step at a time.

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A collection of first-person stories that shines a light on the everyday jobs that keep our nation running and the inspiring people who perform them with empathy and kindness.

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A tender and deeply engaging novel from a distinctive new voice. Katie fights to reclaim her life from the grip of a psychological crisis, tracing back a stumbled-upon and uncertain family history at an abandoned prairie mental asylum. As she seeks to rehabilitate the present by understanding the past, her fate becomes intertwined with that of her great-grandmother Kate Wake, an enigmatic, independent-minded artist with her own remarkable story.

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In 1930, a young Jewish man fled persecution and the rise of Nazism in the hopes of starting a new life in Canada. Like countless “non-preferred” applicants, he gained entry by claiming to be single — only to discover his family was unable to follow. This deeply personal family memoir showcases a resolute struggle against Canada’s historically xenophobic and anti-Semitic government policies.

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Plundering the North examines the disturbing mechanics behind the origins of inflated food prices in the North: state and corporate intervention in northern Indigenous foodways. Providing fresh insight into Canada’s settler colonial project, this study lays bare the chronic food insecurity experienced by northern Indigenous communities.

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Published to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the First World War, Canada’s Great War Album is an unprecedented and remarkable collection of Canadian photographs, memorabilia, and stories of the war. Includes contributions from Peter Mansbridge, Charlotte Gray, J.L. Granatstein, Christopher Moore, Jonathan Vance, and Tim Cook.

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Celebrated historian Barry Gough brings a defining era of Pacific Northwest history into focus in this biography of Richard Blanshard, the first governor of Vancouver Island — illuminating with intriguing detail the genesis and early days of Canada’s westernmost province.

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Mennonites are often associated with food, both by outsiders and by Mennonites themselves. Eating in abundance, eating together, preserving food, and preparing so-called traditional foods are just some of the connections mentioned in cookbooks, food advertising, memoirs, and everyday food talk.

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Mysterious and fearsome, giant squid are the legendary sea monsters that early seafarers believed lurked in the dark ocean, lying in wait to drag ships to the bottom. In this richly illustrated history, author Jenny Higgins explores the myths, facts, and stories of giant squid in the North Atlantic Ocean.

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A little-known figure in Canadian radical Black politics in the 1960s and 1970s: Rosie Douglas.

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Cream-coloured background with burgundy leafs and trim or burgundy background with cream-coloured leafs and trim. Available in crew length or ankle sock. Made exclusively for Canada’s History.

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The memoir of RCAF navigator Scott Maclagan and his experiences flying in the CF-100 jet during the height of the Cold War.

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Based on first-hand interviews with survivors, people who have committed offences, and others on the frontlines, Indictment puts the Canadian criminal justice system on trial and proposes a bold new vision of transformative justice..

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The previously unpublished autobiography of a Canadian-born pianist who played with many of the twentieth century’s jazz and blues greats in Detroit, Harlem, and Montreal.

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In the course of his career, one of B.C.’s most beloved painters, E. J. Hughes (1913–2007), depicted paddle wheelers, steamships, fishing boats, and car ferries. The E. J. Hughes Book of Boats brings many of his coastal paintings of boats together in one handsome volume — a book for art lovers and boating enthusiasts alike.

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L’évolution des communautés francophones d’Amérique du Nord est examinée à l’aune de la mobilité géographique, des migrations et de leurs acteurs. Ces recherches ont été surtout réalisées grâce à l’apport récent des bases de microdonnées de population qui ont été jumelées entre elles, ainsi qu’à la numérisation de nombreuses archives historiques.

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The Warming Huts is a public art and architecture installation held annually at midwinter on the major rivers of Winnipeg. Projects are selected through an international design competition and via the invitation of selected designers or artists. This book, published to coincide with the tenth anniversary, celebrates and discusses the event as a critical body of work foregrounding the poetics and politics of public space.

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Preserving the memory of Fredericton’s war dead, In Perpetuity brings together the biographies of 110 soldiers who died from service during the First World War, shedding light on their lives, the conditions they experienced during their service, and the process of commemoration following the war.

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How Métis identity, political activism, and colonial institutional power shaped the lives and legacies of Alberta premier Peter Lougheed and his Métis grandmother, Isabella Clark Hardisty Lougheed.

“A fascinating look into our family’s Métis heritage.... Privately proud of his heritage, he was, as the Métis Nation of Alberta has often stated, a Métis ‘hiding in plain sight.’” — Joe Lougheed, son of Peter Lougheed

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Hockey is still Canada’s most popular spectator sport, yet many fans question how organized hockey serves the country of its origin as they watch the NHL expand ever deeper into an indifferent American south, taking the best young Canadian talent and leaving major Canadian markets in Quebec, the Maritimes and the Prairies in the cold. Renowned sports expert Neil Longley details the sellout of a sport to big-money U.S. corporatization and enumerates the effects.

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Winner of the Quebec CLIO and Lionel-Groulx prizes, School of Racism names the ways Canada’s education system has supported and sustained ideologies of white supremacy from its inception and for decades. This English translation bridges English- and French-Canadian histories to deliver a better understanding of Canada’s past and present identity.

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Preserve your collection of back issues with this magazine slipcase beautifully wrapped in burgundy vellum with gold foil stamp on the front and spine. Each case holds twelve issues — two years of magazines — and ensures your collection of Canada’s History stays in perfect condition for future reference.

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In this rigorously researched biography, a 19th-century Inuk — separated from his family, community, and language — finds his place in history. The Life and Times of Augustine Tataneuck is an arresting, unique glimpse into the North as it was in the early 19th century and into the lives of translators and labourers, often invisible in the historical record.

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Through Their Eyes imagines the experiences of Canadian soldiers during the First World War through graphic artwork and illustration. To help break the stalemate of trench warfare, the Canadian Corps commander, Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie, was tasked with capturing Hill 70, A German stronghold near the French town of Lens. Through Their Eyes depicts this remarkable but costly victory in a unique way.

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Mi’kmaw artists are creating a wide range of imaginative and beautiful work using the skills and traditions of basketry weaving given to them by their elders and ancestors. In this book, nine artists present their work and their stories in their own words. Their unique artistic practices reflect their relationships to the natural world around them and their abilities to create unique and beautiful objects using a mix of traditional and contemporary materials and forms.

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Skating on Thin Ice exposes the culture of toxic masculinity in professional hockey and suggests how sport and society can change the narrative on sexual assault and violence.

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The third volume of this award-winning series showcases paintings and drawings created by the artist during his years of war service in Ottawa, England, Wales, and Alaska.

“A penetrating study based on unique archival material and a deep analysis into hundreds of wartime works of art.” —Tim Cook, author of The Fight for History

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