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A biography of Canada’s first prime minister, a legendary political strategist who helped found a new nation in 1867. Shocked by Canada’s 1837 rebellions, John A. Macdonald sought to build alliances and avoid future conflicts. Thanks to financial worries and an alcohol problem, he almost quit politics in 1864. The challenge of building Confederation harnessed his skills, and in 1867 he became the country’s first prime minister.

From the jetliner and the snowmobile to the pacemaker and the BlackBerry, Canadians have long been at the forefront of innovation and invention. Canadians are behind a variety of cutting-edge products, life-saving medicines, innovative machines, and fascinating ideas. Although our inventions have typically been created with little fanfare, financing, or expectation of return, they have often gone on to play important roles in day-to-day life. Our "greatest invention" is probably insulin, which millions of people depend on for life and health.

A young law clerk from England falls in love in 19th-century New York and reinvents himself in Canada. Quiet Isaac Jelfs led many lives: a scapegoated law clerk in England; a soldier in the mad Crimean War; a lawyer on swirling Broadway Avenue in New York. His escape from each was wrapped in deep secrecy. He eventually reached Canada, in 1869, with a new wife and a changed name. In his new home — the remote wilderness of Muskoka — he crafted yet another persona for himself.

A true story of a bank robber and a chilling car chase worthy of an Elmore Leonard novel or a Brian De Palma movie. Like many new arrivals to Canada, Hermann Beier came to this country with big dreams – visions of a wide-open country where hard work and entrepreneurial flair would make him rich. A charismatic handyman, martial arts teacher, and small business owner, he charmed women and earned the respect of men. He was loved in his community of Alliston, Ontario, and had a plan to make a million bucks. But when those dreams soured, Beier turned to crime to pay the bills.

The history of the Chinese community in Toronto is rich with stories drawn from over 150 years of life in Canada. Sam Ching, a laundryman, is the first Chinese resident recorded in Toronto’s city directory of 1878. A few years later, in 1881, there were 10 Chinese and no sign of a Chinatown. Today, with no less than seven Chinatowns and half a million people, Chinese Canadians have become the second-largest visible minority in the Greater Toronto Area.Stories, photographs, newspaper reports, maps, and charts will bring to life the little-known and dark history of the Chinese community.

What starts as a simple fishing trip becomes a cathartic experience in the untamed wilderness of Ontario’s northwestern canoe country. A nine-day fishing trip turns into a profound life-altering event and marks the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the untamed wilderness of Canoe Country in northwestern Ontario.

Mental illness doesn’t have to be a prison sentence. International award-winning journalist John Scully has been committed to mental institutions seven times. He has been locked up. He has attempted suicide. He has been diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. During this time, he has held down leading jobs with world broadcasters.Am I Sane Yet? is essential reading for patients already suffering from depression, as well as for their relatives and friends.

A lifetime of wilderness adventures and the resulting insights relating to nature’s intricacies as experienced by a master in the art of primitive wilderness survival. "Fire! Wake up! The shelter is on fire!"His students affectionately call him "Doc Survival." He’s Quebec’s Indiana Jones in a forest setting.

The story of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is the story of early Canada. The story of Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent (1767-1820) is also a story of early Canada. An active participant in the very genesis of the country, including discussions that would eventually lead to Confederation, the Prince lived in Quebec City, undertook historic tours of Upper Canada and the United States (both firsts for a member of the Royal Family) before he was stationed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as commander-in-chief of British North America.

Visionary social entrepreneur David Pecaut’s life demonstrates how to make a positive impact on a community. City builder David Pecaut has been called a visionary and a pragmatist, passionate and compassionate, a bridge builder, a catalyst, and a trailblazer. Though David was a business leader and management consultant, most of these accolades flow from his volunteer work as a civic entrepreneur.