The Mixed Book Bag Room

 

 

Scoundrels, Dreamers & Second Sons: British Remittance Men in the Canadian West

Between 1880 and 1914, thousands of British remittance men came to the Canadian West, urged overseas by a rapidly changing British society. In a land of cowboys and loggers, their attempts to recreate the aura of landed gentility were sometimes misunderstood-and often ridiculed. Many Canadians thought steeplechase tracks, easels, tennis, and "taking ease" were futile pursuits for a group of otherwise pleasant and well-educated men. What some saw as a chase after failed dreams, a lack of family ties, and a refusal to ever settle down to serious work, remittance men knew as the very things that made their lives worth living. With a hint of nostalgia for the pre-war era that harboured these colourful outcasts of a diminishing empire, Mark Zuehlke fondly recounts the often humourous and sometimes dismal efforts of "good breeding" in Canada's West.

 

Published by Dundurn Press, 2001: 229 pages.

 

Vancouver Sun: ".some howlingly funny material.The First World War ended the era of the remittance men, but they walk again in all their glory through the colourful pages of Zuehlke's history."

 

Victoria Times-Colonist: "Well-researched and written in a comfortable, easy-reading style, Scoundrels, Dreamers & Second Sons is well worth a look."

 

 

 

Magazine Writing From the Boonies

(Co-author Louise Donnelly)

No matter where you live, this book explains everything you need to know to break into the challenging and profitable magazine market. Two experienced freelancers and writing instructors guide you through the basics of writing non-fiction articles.

 

Published by McGill-Queen's University Press, 1996: 142 pages.

 

Reviews:

 

Ottawa Citizen: "This guide should be on every writer's shelf."

 

Quill & Quire: ".as worthwhile for aspiring magazine writers toiling in Toronto's core as it is for those searching for stories in rural British Columbia, the Maritimes or anywhere else outside of a 'major publishing centre.'"

 

 

 

The B.C. Fact Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About British Columbia.

Find out what makes Canada's most westernmost province so unique. The B.C. Fact Book presents an eclectic mix of information ranging from archaeology and politics
to Nanaimo bars and killer whales, and from the Abbotsford International Airshow to Yoho National Park.

 

Published by Whitecap Books, 1995:  253 pages.

 

Reviews:

 

The Georgia Straight: "A boon to anyone planning to spend an aimless holiday tooling around the province."

 

 

 

The Alberta Fact Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Alberta

 

From cowboys and chinooks to hoodoos and dinosaurs, discover what makes Alberta special. The Alberta Fact Book reveals hundreds of unique facts about the province's history, wildlife, and landscape.

 

Published by Whitecap Books, 1997:  246 pages.

 

Reviews:

 

Quill & Quire: ".encourages browsing.covers the province from prehistoric beginnings to the most current and relevant issues."

 

 

 

The Yukon Fact Book: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Yukon

The Yukon has a history as wild as the wilderness it is still home to today. This selection from The Yukon Fact Book provides a nutshell history of the gold-rush era Mecca that drew men and women from all corners of the planet in the desperate quest for gold.

 

Whitecap Books, 1998: 220 pages.

 

Reviews:

 

Financial Book Review: "A treasure of information about a remote unpopulated space. Extremely helpful economic, demographic and cultural facts intertwined with folklore and culture."

 

 

 

The Vancouver Island South Explorer: The Outdoor Guide

 

Discover the unlimited opportunities for venturing by foot, bike, canoe, or kayak into the diversified and spectacular landscape of southern Vancouver Island. Mark Zuehlke shares a wealth of information in this guide to access and routes, equipment and facilities, flora and fauna, local lore, and much more.

 

Published by Whitecap Books, 1994:  211 pages.

 

Reviews:

 

Monday Magazine: "The weight of detail in this paperback will pull many out of their armchairs and into their rubber boots."

 

Victoria Times-Colonist: "A must-have for everyone fascinated with the outdoors and eager to safely experience the scenic diversity located in and around Greater Victoria."

 

 

 

Fun B.C. Facts for Kids

 

A desert in a pocket, underwater volcanoes, North America's most endangered mammal, and legendary lake monsters-these are just some of the wild, weird, and wonderful things found in Fun B.C. Facts for Kids. Discover an animal the length of two semi-trailer trucks, catch gold fever in the Fraser Valley, and wander through the earth's largest remaining ancient coastal rainforest. These pages offer a whole new look at B.C.

 

Publisher: Whitecap Books, 1996:  88 pages.

 

Reviews:

 

Quill & Quire: "This is a book that is hard to read silently: the reader keeps wanting to ask people within earshot if they knew that more plants and animals live in Vancouver Island rain forest than the Amazon jungle, or that Ripple Rock sank more than 120 ships and smaller boats before it was blown up in 1958."

 

Island Parent Magazine: "From volcanoes and forest fires to ogopogos and sasquatches, there are enough odd facts in here to keep a carload of kids entertained."

 

Resource Links: "Fun B.C. Facts for Kids holds a wealth of information about Canada's most western province.It is sure to be a hit with students studying Canada and for those interested in knowing more about their country."