A nostalgic look back at the days of steam on the Western Region.

A nostalgic look back at the days of steam in the London Midland Region.

A nostalgic look back at the days of Steam in the Southern Region.

"For many years there had never been any doubt in the mind of Robert Worth as to the ultimate destiny of Texas, though he was by no means an adventurer, and had come into the beautiful land by a sequence of natural and business-like events. He was born in New York. In that city he studied his profession, and in eighteen hundred and three began its practice in an office near Contoit's Hotel, opposite the City Park. One day he was summoned there to attend a sick man. His patient proved to be Don Jaime Urrea, and the rich Mexican grandee conceived a warm friendship for the young physician..."

It is never easy to fix upon one cause as the origin of a great war, and the war of 1914 was the outcome of several causes combined. For twenty years there had been growing up in Europe a sense of insecurity; the great Powers had become restless and suspicious of one another . . . (Excerpt) The British Army during World War I fought the largest and most costly war in its long history. Unlike the French and German Armies, its units were made up exclusively of volunteers—as opposed to conscripts—at the beginning of the conflict. Furthermore, the British Army was considerably smaller than its French and German counterparts. Yet the army showed exemplary valour and courage on the battlefield. Buchan and Newbolt bring their expert analysis into their overview of the Great War and the reasons for it. John Buchan (1875-1940) was a Scottish novelist, historian and also served as Canada's Governor General. With the outbreak of the First World War, Buchan worked as a correspondent in France for The Times. Sir Henry John Newbolt (1862–1938) was an English poet, novelist and historian. He also had a very powerful role as a government adviser. He is perhaps best remembered for his poems "Vitaï Lampada" and "Drake's Drum".

When Harold Gasson first put pen to paper more than forty years ago, it was at a time when there was a growing resurgence of interest in the steam railway. Three of his books described his life as a fireman based at Didcot shed from the early 1940s. Firing Days was followed by Footplate Days and then Nostalgia Days. Finally, after Harold had forsaken the footplate for the signal box, came the final instalment, Signalling Days. All were eagerly sought after at the time for they described the railway readers wanted to hear about, providing a nostalgic perspective which could be enjoyed from the comfort of one’s arm chair. Out of print for several decades, all four books have now been reprinted and are available together for the first time complete with a new set of illustrations. The steam engines and most of the mechanical signal boxes of Harold’s working days may have been long consigned to history but in these well-written and enjoyable books they are brought vividly back to life for a new audience to enjoy as well for those who recall his era for whom these tales will reawaken treasured memories.

DIVA beautiful retrospective of American steam locomotives in their final years, featuring photography and recollections of the men who documented the end of the steam age. /div

First published in 1982, I Remember Sunnyside is a mine of golden memories, bringing back to life an earlier Toronto, only hints of which remain today. Like the city itself, Sunnyside was an everchanging landscape from its heady opening days in the early 1920s to its final sad demolition in the 1950s. The book captures the spirit of the best of times a magical era which can only be recaptured in memory and photographs. It also presents the reality of a newer Toronto where change, although necessary, is sometimes regrettable.

West of Malatia begins around the turn of the Twentieth Century when Armenian refugees settled in Newburgh. By 1920 many had married and Armenian families began to form. In 1926 five young men were born to the families in one of the Clans. "The Boys of '26" were the first-born sons of a Clan of seven families. This is their story. "Bird Legs" Dadaian jumped higher than Michael Jordan ever imagined one day. Led by Sam Sisian, grape leaf picking was an annual event that sent our caravans on a hunt for the finest grape leaves. There was Jim who came from the hobo fires in Harvard gulley to play ball until September when they disappeared. There was Garo Mesrobian in Pete's basement, kneeling by a homemade Still, sipping "White Lightning" (Armenian Rachi). Mano, The Keeper of the Skewers, prepares Shish Kebob while puzzled "Odars" look on. No one knew the lady on Claasen. As a fifteen year old, Turvan eluding Turks discovers her baby brother is dead after carrying him on her back for days. There were leaders like Khosrof Esayian who is remembered, and older leaders like Harry Johnson who is long since forgotten. Stories that took a lifetime to tell.