Dundurn Press – serie

When did you last have a psychic experience? Are you in the habit of seeing – or sensing – the presence of spirits and ghost? Have you ever spotted a lake monster or sighted a UFO? When did you last consult a fortune-teller, approach a medium work an Ouija board, or read an astrology column? Have you ever had a premonition that some odd event would occur, and then witnessed it actually occurring? Did you ever experience a sense of déjà vu or a moment of pure bliss? Extraordinary Experiences: Personal Accounts of the Paranormal in Canada is a collection of over seventy short yet curiously gripping accounts of experiences and events that may be regarded as abnormal or paranormal. Colombo has collected highly readable accounts of unusual experiences from the past and the present. The supernatural practices of the Indians of the 18th and 19th centuries are described by Samuel Hearne and Paul Kane. From the turn of the century come accounts of "crisis apparitions," poltergeists, and haunted houses, as reported by spiritualists and other observers. But the majority of the personal narratives derive from letters sent to the editor in response to his requests featured in daily newspapers across the country, for first-hand accounts of the supernatural and the paranormal. Over one hundred readers responded; here are some of there responses… Extraordinary Experiences is an extraordinary reading experience. No book quite like it has ever before appeared in Canada.

Ink from an Octopus is a book of poetry by Leonard Gasparini.

Toward Wisdom addresses the nature of wisdom, humanity’s need for it, and ways and means of developing it. The situation the world faces today is extremely complex. Long-cherished values have begun to conflict with each other: material comfort vs. an uncontaminated world; economic growth now vs. economic well-being for our grandchildren. Toward Wisdom takes the position that the only way to make the world a better place is to make it a wiser place. Wisdom is no longer an option or a frill. We, and the world, need wisdom-based analyses of our problems followed by wisdom-based action. In the past, becoming wise was left to chance; a few people became wise before they died, but most did not. This lackadaisical approach will no longer do. Wisdom can be developed intentionally, and Toward Wisdom shows us how. The book examines some of the key impediments to wisdom; what they are, how they work, how they came to be; and introduces us to techniques for getting beyond them.

Here is a book to thrill and chill you!It brings together sixty-nine stories of haunted houses, ghosts, poltergeists, apparitions, and other eerie events and experiences.What is amazing is that all the stories are true - they actually happened - and they happened in Ontario!Did Sir John A. Macdonald give advice from the dead?Did William Lyon Mackenzie King engage in a friendly conversation with a veteran newspaperman at Kingsmere two years after his death?Is Ottawa’s Laurier House haunted?What happened in Toronto’s Mackenzie House?Did an apparition of Walt Whitman appear in Bon Echo Provincial Park?Does a beautiful lady in white haunt old stone houses in the north Woodstock area?What was behind the Baldoon Mystery and the Dagg Poltergeist?Do such things happen? Are they happening today?In these pages there are ghosts aplenty. They appear in the villages, towns, and cities of Ontario - among them: Goderich, Hamilton, London, Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, North Bay, Oakville, Oshawa, St. Catharines, and Sarnia!Perhaps there is a ghost near you…

Ninety Fathoms Down is the first collection of Canadian stories about the Great Lakes, the inland seas that shaped the development of Ontario. This fascinating book explains the history of the Canadian side of the Great Lakes by telling the stories of people whose lives took dramatic turns on the vast lakes. In these pages you will meet people like Paul Ragueneau, the Jesuit priest who tried to save thousands of starving Hurons in 1650; the seventeenth-century dreamer Rene-Robert Cavalier de La Salle, whose luck always let him down; and Lt. Miller Worsley, who takes revenge on the loss of his little supply ship Nancy by capturing two of the American warships that sank his schooner in the War of 1812. The people whose stories are told here are often at odds with the power of the lakes themselves. For instance, the three hundred sailors who lost their lives in the great storm of 1913 and the passengers of the steamship Algoma, torn apart on a Lake Superior beach by hurricane winds in 1885, learned that there are times when the lakes are unforgiving. Politics, too, play a role in the lore of the Great Lakes. Confederate pirates once prowled Lake Erie, hoping someday for a chance to attack Buffalo or Cleveland and change the outcome of the Civil War. Politicians, including Sir John A. Macdonald, have been at the mercy of the lakes in shipwrecks that have changed Ontario’s history. The Great Lakes have been a stage for courage, greed, misfortune, and murder. Ninety Fathoms Down fills an important void in Ontario’s popular history by using the theme of the great waterways to show the development of central Canada.

Toronto has hosts of ghosts that go as far back as the War of 1812…and others as recent as the Nineties. From the spirit of the Keeper of the Gibraltar Point Lighthouse to the four spectres that haunt the stairwells and corridors of Queen’s Park, our most conspicuously ghostly presences and sites are all revealed in Haunted Toronto.Sixty-six haunts and paranormal locales are captured in dramatic detail. Arranged like a guidebook for walking or driving tours, this richly illustrated book is the perfect companion for spectre-seeking urban adventurers. Whether or not you spot a ghost or two in Toronto, you’ll encounter the fascinating, sometimes morbid lore of the city’s past, and you’re guaranteed never again to look at its historic sites in quite the same way.

This book pays tribute to 14 women who donated millions of dollars to causes close to their hearts. Iris Nowell is the author of five books. Writing her 1996 book, Women Who Give Away Millions, has given her a solid foundation of philanthropy, the not-for-profit sector, and the wealthy. She has also written a memoir of Canadian artist Harold Town, and a biography of artist, filmmaker, and impassioned feminist, Joyce Wieland.

It has been called Canada’s most haunted province.While such a claim is impossible to prove, British Columbia does abound with tales of the supernatural. Ghost Stories of British Columbia is a comprehensive collection of these tales, drawing from the province’s history, its archives, and its people.There are ghosts from the distant past, and ghosts from the present day. Legends that are familiar to many, and accounts that, to date, have only been heard by a few. Shady apparitions from the coastline, the interior, and the isolated north. And each story is a true account of someone’s experience with a ghost.In Burnaby, a young child is repeatedly urged by two spectral visitors to follow them back "to the other side."The dedicated publisher of the Surrey Leader returns to check on the new issue - weeks after his death.The image of a screaming young woman haunts a grove of bushes in Beacon Hill Park - years before a woman matching the image is murdered there.Barkerville - a town designed to bring the history of the gold rush to life - truly hosts the "spirit" of the past.Victoria honours its British past - with two of its own haunted castles.In Creston - an eccentric stonemason’s spirit occupies the unusual home he once planned to be buried in.They are the mysteries, the unexplained, the eerie, and amazing stories meant to be told by campfire or candlelight.They are the true ghost stories of British Columbia, and they wait for you in these pages.

Mysteries of Ontario brings together, for the first time, some five hundred accounts of strange events and eerie experiences, each keyed to one of 250 places in the province. It turns out that, far from being a humdrum part of the planet in which to live and work, Ontario is a province that is alive with ghosts and spirits, mysterious disappearances, and peculiar happenings enough to make your hair stand on end, turn your blood cold, and send shivers up and down your spine! John Robert Colombo has been collecting materials for this book since 1967. Even so, more than two years were devoted to researching, writing, copy-editing, and photo editing Mysteries of Ontario. The reader is invited to peruse the great historical mysteries that have moved Canadians in the past from LaSalle’s missing Griffon to the peculiar disappearance of Ambrose Small, from the spiritualistic legacy of the Fox Sisters of Consecon to the appearance in the 1990s of "ghost walks," "haunted hayrides," and "boo barns." This is a book that unites folklore and scholarship, the supernatural and the speculative, culture and mysticism, the occult and the peculiar, the psychical and the cultural, the human and the non-human.

The World’s Most Mysterious Places is a collection of stories about lost lands, weird locations, and strange sites, many of which the authors have investigated in person. Some of the places are actual sites we can visit, others are legendary lands that have long since vanished. All are sure to intrigue and astound the reader.Here you will discover: a bookshop in San Antonio, Texas, that seems to be haunted by the ghosts of the defenders of the Alamo who were cremated on that site; the "crash site" of a flying saucer in Roswell, New Mexico; the Chase Vault, a mysterious tomb in Christ Church, Barbados, where caskets are moved by some unknown force; Oak Island, Nova Scotia, site of the famous Money Pit; the home of the legendary Sasquatch in the Rocky Mountains; Lake Okanagan, home to the aquatic monster Ogopogo; the lost continent of Atlantis; the homes of Noah’s Ark and the Ark of the Covenant; and many other mysterious sites.

We can’t escape them; aliens are everywhere. They sell us soft drinks and star in their own sitcoms. But to the many people who believe they have been abducted aboard strange crafts, aliens are a very serious reality. Stories of these encounters, taken from investigators’ files, have been vividly depicted in television specials and motion pictures.Despite their predominance as a cultural phenomenon, experts offer drastically conflicting opinions: aliens are harmless creatures whose aim is to better understand humans; aliens are angel-like entities here to enhance our spiritual awareness; aliens are conspiring with the government in a plot to enslave humans; and aliens are genetically breeding with humans to create a new race of hybrids.But, what is really going on? Are aliens abducting thousands of unsuspecting people each year? Are they then inserted with tracking devices and monitored? Based on his own investigative files and almost twenty-five years of research, science writer Chris Rutkowski asks hard questions, looking critically, yet compassionately, at the stories of abductees. He is an astronomer, educator and published commentator within the area of study known as "ufology." Rutowski presents case histories of many abductees, showing both their diversity and similarities, and examines how our understanding is shaped by media, by science, and by society itself.

Who were Canada’s ten most romantic couples of the twentieth century? What were this country’s worst disasters, its ten best beers, and its most controversial works of art in the past one hundred years? Where will you find the most haunted places in Canada and who are Canada’s greatest heroes, its most accomplished athletes, and its most despised criminals?The Great Canadian Book of Lists chronicles a century of achievements, trends, important and influential people, and fascinating events that have shaped this country as it heads into a new millennium. Award-winning writers Mark Kearney and Randy Ray, who have delighted readers with their bestselling books The Great Canadian Trivia Book and The Great Canadian Trivia Book 2, turn the spotlight on the twentieth century to determine the best, worst, and most significant happenings in our lives.Not content with supplying a shopping list of items about Canada, Kearney and Ray provide plenty of details to support why certain people and events are included on the lists. And their statistical snapshots comparing a variety of societal trends over different years show readers how Canada has changed in the course of the past century.You’ll also learn how experts from the worlds of science, sports, lifestyle, literature, and politics rate the personalities and events that have made Canada what it is today. And several guest celebrities weigh in with lists they’ve created exclusively for The Great Canadian Book of Lists.Enlightening, controversial and fun, The Great Canadian Book of Lists is bound to start as many arguments as it settles. Was Guy Lafleur a better hockey player than Rocket Richard? Why are rower Silken Laumann and actress Margot Kidder on the same list? What were the best Canadian novels of the twentieth century? And what are some key milestones achieved by Canadian women, medical doctors, inventors, and musicians?Innovations and flops, successes and failures, comebacks and breakthroughs, record setters and trend setters: You’ll find them all in The Great Canadian Book of Lists.

What are "snow worms"?Are there more moose than people in the Yukon?What is the meaning of the word "Niagara"?Where will you find the world’s largest perogy?Does Elvis have a street in Ottawa named after him?What was Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s favourite snack food?Which province was the last to shift traffic from the left-hand side of the road to the right?These are some of the questions that are asked - and answered - in 1000 Questions About Canada. Every reader with an ounce (or a gram) of curiosity will find these intriguing questions and thoughtful answers fascinating to read and ponder. This book is for people who love curious lore and who want to know more about the country in which they live.

The Franklin Conspiracy is an absorbing account of the single most enigmatic event in Canadian history. In 1845, two British Royal Navy ships, the Erebus and the Terror, commanded by Sir John Franklin, entered the Canadian Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. Neither ship returned. A fifteen-year search uncovered evidence of unparalleled disaster, but to this day no one knows exactly how the 129 men of the Franklin Expedition met their deaths.Although the expedition did not run out of food, there is clear evidence of cannibalism. The ships carried two hundred message cylinders with them, yet failed to leave records. Stranger still, an earlier explorer, Thomas Simpson, was reputedly murdered for the "secret of the Northwest Passage." What was this "secret"?The Franklin Conspiracy is an exhaustively researched, compellingly reasoned answer to that question. The result is a shocking saga of conspiracy, cover-up, and unbelievable secrets.

If you think you’ve already heard everything there is to know about the royal family - think again!Even Queen Victoria herself would be amused (not to mention astonished) by the hundreds of revelations to be found within The Royal Book of Lists.Covering over a thousand years of royal history, this fascinating book tells the often turbulent story of a nation and an empire through those privileged few who came to embody it. In the process, author Matt Richardson has succeeded in highlight all the triumphs, tragedies, and of course the scandals that are central to this rich heritage.Balanced, in-depth, frequently irreverent but always compelling, The Royal Book of Lists has something to interest everyone. Coming as it does in time for Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden Jubilee, the book stands as a timely and accessible introduction to Britain’s - and Canada’s - royal family.

Canada’s first audition book, with monologues from plays of the seventies, also useful as a survey of Canadian playwriting.

"Scenes from Canadian plays for two to six actors. Thirty-two excellent opportunities for young thespians … these are texts which I would certainly use with my own senior students of dramatic arts."-Reviewing Librarian

From Margaret Anglin’s birth in 1876 in the Speaker’s suite of the Canadian House of Commons, to her death in Toronto in 1958, Margaret Anglin: A Stage Life is a lively biography researched from personal sources and theatre periodicals of the times. Author John Le Vay gives us glimpses of the rich and colourful personal life behind the stage persona. Called "Canada’s greatest actress" by Herbert Whittaker, Margaret Anglin succeeded in winning critical acclaim for her sensitive portrayals in Shakespearean comedy and Greek tragedy. In more contemporary productions she was praised for her work with actor-managers James O’Neill, E.H. Sothern, Richard Mansfield, and Henry Miller, and playwrights Somerset Maugham, H.A. Jones, and Paul Kester.

Conversations with twelve Canadian woman playwrights give a lively insight into their craft.

Robertson Davies has been called the most important Canadian playwright of the postwar period. These two plays from the 1940s prove that great writing and important themes never go out of style.

Growing up, Rosie had never known any of her father’s family. Why had she been chosen to inherit her grandfather’s summer home, and its valuable northern waterfront land?A simple reunion with her great aunt and her cousin leads to an unexpected and chilling legacy. Failed by family and friends alike, Rosie and Will are left to solve the puzzles of Grave Deeds.

The plays in this anthology have been selected to reflect the wide spectrum of ethnic communities in this country, and to illuminate the often painful world their members inhabit as outsiders to mainstream Canadian life. The plays explore cultural values, dual loyalties, and problems of adjustment.Path with No Moccasins, by Shirley Cheechoo: A young Cree girl endures life at a residential school, and later heals herself. The play raises issues of identity, discrimination, and self-destruction, but ends positively. (1 character; four scenes)The Tale of a Mask, by Terry Watada: Immigration to Toronto leaves a Japanese wife cut off from society, while her husband works at a low-paying job, and her son defies authority at home and at school. (5 characters; twenty-one scenes)Dance Like a Butterfly, by Aviva Ravel: Tillie, a Jewish octogenarian, reveals vivid memories of her past, and looks forward to the fulfilling days ahead, in a journey that leads us to re-examine our conceptions of old age. (6 characters; thirteen scenes)No Man’s Land, by Rahul Varma: They left East India for a better life for their daughter, but Qaiser and Jeena are cheated and exploited by employers and landlords; they sacrifice everything, including Jeena’s health. (8 characters; twenty-two scenes)Going Down the River, by Kevin Longfield: Racial tension underlies the discussions of a black principal, a young white teacher, and the black mother of a problem son. The principal’s father acts as her conscience. (4 characters; one act)Supplementary information for each play includes a glossary, biography of the playwright, and details of the first production. In addition, the playwright and editor provide some brief questions for each play, which can be used in class or discussion groups to stimulate debate and deeper understanding of the themes.

Late spring in Oslo, Ontario. The annual Ibsen Festival begins with auditions, then rehearsals, and, finally, performances.This year, the Ibfest features productions of five classic plays: The Twins, a renaissance play in the, er, tradition of Shakespeare; Virtue Slandered, a restoration comedy in the, um, fashion of Sheridan; The Raj, a nineteen century look at those quirky, madcap, but well-meaning Brits in a backward society (it’s a musical!); Pantilous in Crete, a classic Greek tragedy about an Athenian, having offended Zeus, who is doomed to live a life of horrors; and the Canadian classic, Frozen Wheat, about a Quebucois couple stranded on the prairies in the dead of winter, their son growing up Anglais, their daughter pregnant, with relatives from Newfoundland causing havoc and humorous but touching situations.The actors in the company include (among many others) Dirk Hart, the gorgeous American film star, making an attempt at serious theatre; Simon Webber-Douglas, Canadian-born but British-trained, which makes him almost good; and Julia Hudson, talented, Canadian-born and trained, and the target of the Ibfestos sarcasm, sadism, and cruelty.Antony Manley-Dunn presides over the Ibfest as one imagines Cecil Rhodes did the continent of Africa.Claptrap is a grand satire of the colonial mentality that governs the theatre festivals of Canada. Anyone who has worked at, performed in, been to, or even heard about the Stratford or Shaw festivals will laugh heartily and with recognition.Although a play, Claptrap reads much like a comic novel; here is Tom Wood’s description of the development of the festival:Oslo’s biggest claim to fame before the Festival was the Hastverk Fish Pickling Plant (Herring and Smelt). When the town was floundering in the early 1960s, the city fathers hit upon the idea of having a summer festival of Norwegian culture. Dancing, food, sports, and the community players performed A Doll’s House at the town hall. The cultural festival failed miserably, but the play was a modest success. The town fathers decided to follow in the footsteps of two other theatrical festivals and gussied up the town to look more period. 1850s Norway, to be exact. Local businesses slapped on facades and adopted Ibsenesque names: the hair salon became Hedda Hair; the pub, Gabbler’s; the funeral parlor, Ghosts; the hotel and convention centre, Gynt Pier Inn.