This one was one of the best books about the Dionne's. It wasn't at all one-sided like so many others. The pitures are excellent, and Mr. Burton's style is smooth and understandable. It allows you to form you own opinion and understand what really happpend, since it was such a complicated story, with alot of twist and turns. Enjoy!

Berton, a well known writer of Canadian histories, has put together quite a collection of photographs in this glossy tome. If you are realy interested in the subject, I suggest Klondike Quest for the remarkable pictures, and "The Klondike Fever", also by Berton, for a written account. I can't praise the collection of photographs enough.

Excellent first book for anyone interested in the Klondike gold rush. Provides accurate overview of the events that made this such an important event in history.

For the reader already generally familiar with the Klondike gold rush, a good second book is the one written Tappan Adney; that book provides excellent details about everything imagineable.

Gary Christenson

Pierre Berton's two volume history of the building of the Canadian railway is a tour-de-force. It is not only history but a narrative filled with colourful characters from the early days of Canadian Confederation. The politicians, the builders, the labourers, the surveyors, the boom towns and native unrest, it is a rich depiction of the building of the railroad. This is not strictly of interest to Canadians, it is of interest to all who enjoy such topics as the 19th century, the settlement of the west, and the social conditions and the mindset of the 1870's and 1880's. Highly recommended, it stands up well almost 30 years after print. Also highly recommended by Pierre Berton, My Country, Vimy and The Arctic Grail

The information contained in Phoenetic Readings of Songs and Arias is an absolutely necessary tool for every student of classical vocal repertoire. Not only do the authors understand what the novice singer needs, in terms of word order and pronounciation, but the information is also a very handy reference for the advanced singer and teacher. The best thing about this volume is that translations of the original word order of the original language is given, so that the student can see "how the language works" in its own word order. A great book!.

My wife and I were traveling in Canada last year.....I asked several Canadians, if there was one author to read to get a sense of the culture and history of Canada, who would it be ? Unanimously, the answer was "Pierre Berton". I picked this book up in a used book store near Toronto last summer, and it was one of the best books I have ever read. Starting with Berton's childhood in the Klondike country, the book is sprinkled with humor, especially Berton's early days as newpaper reporter. If you like to read about Canada, this is an excellent book by an excellent author.

Word-By-Word Translations of Songs and Arias: Part I German and French by Coffin is an excellent resource for literal translations of both German and French Songs and Arias. In many cases the exact translation is awkward due to its syntax. In these cases, Coffin also offers a translation in English format. This book is an excellent resource for both teacher and student.

I've learned more North American history from Berton's books than from any other writer. War of 1812, Great Depression, and here, a portrait of the 1960's. Is it my imagination... or was this book once titled "1967-- the Last Good Year"?? Glad they dropped that. Thinking Canada has lots of good years in its future, which I hope includes more Berton books.

I wasn't born until after 1967, but I felt transported back to it anyway. Originally having bought it just for the portion concerning Expo '67 (which I regret missing), I found myself reading cover-to-cover. The centennial celebrations, the last year of the pre-expansion NHL, societal trends, politics - everything was interesting.

Pierre Berton has shown a wonderful knack in the past for capturing the essence of an era by giving overviews of the big news stories, while illustrating mood with quirky, memorable personal stories he adds to the mix. It's no less present here, although I think you need to be Canadian to appreciate this particular ride back through time.

The first thing the reader should be aware of is that this book is about the Depression in Canada. Many may know this, but I did not. The title never specified Canada. I believe books should make things like this clear in the title.

I found the book quite interesting in any case. Berton covers the depression year by year, giving the reader a better feel for the era than books that jump from one time period to another. He writes well and knows how to keep our attention. As with most books on the depression, though, this one suffers from a leftist bias. The institutions of the day are all portrayed in a negative light and the reforms of the era are never questioned. Berton is right to criticize the Canadian government for its disregard of civil liberties, yet he fails to appreciate that communism sought the destruction of the Canadian way of life. The government may have over reacted, but it could not completely ignore the 'red menace'.

Finally, I wonder if Berton would be as concerned about civil liberties in Canada today. It is now the left which controls the situation and is censoring speech. Perhaps he should write a book about this.

This is a compelling, often chilling, account of this period in Canadian history, and is also a fair warning regarding the future. I found this tragic story of the depression in Canada to be an eye-opener. Being one of the "nice Canadians", as well as being too young to have any personal experience of this time, it will certainly change the way in which I view our past. Written in typically well-researched and entertaining Berton-style, this is a should-read for every Canadian and any history buff. Other books by Pierre Berton that I recently read and enjoyed were "Niagara" and "The Dionne Years".

The subtitle here says it all -- this is truly a history of the Falls, beginning back with the Ice Age, although that pre-history is dispensed with quickly. Berton is an easy, if not compelling read. I learned a whole lot more than necessary about the machinations of the power players in the early hydroelectric industry in Niagara. Amidst all that detail, however, Berton properly highlights the importance of the Falls to industrial development in both the United States and Canada, a fact easily overlooked in the popular image of Niagara. My own Falls memories include being thirteen and reading in 1960 the next day's Buffalo newspapers about the boy who accidentally went over the Falls in his bathing suit and survived, the only person ever to do so. The history Berton draws of the man's life after that miracle made interesting reading, as did the reasons the first person to survive going over in a barrel had for doing so. There is a full panoply here of fools, stoic rescuers (and body retrievers), and shysters, but I found Berton's efforts to be exhaustive sometimes obscured the lure and power that makes Niagara the popular fascination it has always been. That said, I know much more about Niagara than I did before and would recommend this as a quick summer read to anyone with curiosity about this natural, and -- Berton makes clear -- ever-changing wonder.

"Niagara" is a nice little book, stringing together a series of anecdotes about Niagara Falls and its immediate region, especially from the mid 19th century to the mid 20th century. As histories go, it is fairly light (the author does not cite his facts, although he does include an extensive bibliography), but Pierre Berton is adept at telling stories, especially human stories.

The stories mostly develop along one of two themes - daredevil encounters with the Falls, and human manipulation, either for the purpose of exploitation or protection of the Falls. Berton is best with the small stories of explorers, tightrope walkers, barrel riders, a family of "rivermen" (the Hills), and their ilk. The small becomes large with what is perhaps the best-crafted story, that of Lois Gibbs and the toxic tragedy of Love Canal, with which Berton ends the book.

Although the story of the Falls did not end in 1980, Love Canal is a fitting final story. Despite the occasional preservationist triumphs, the story of the Falls really culminates in Love Canal. The natural wonder of the Falls became framed by hucksters, factories, power stations, tacky museums, homes, roads, manicured parks and everything else unnatural. Engineers even managed to stop the falls in an attempt to clear out fallen rocks (they wisely chose not to once they realized that the rocks propped up the rock face behind the falls). A visit to the Falls today is a jarring reminder of what a mess we humans have made of the natural world. It is an obscene juxtaposition of nature's best and humanity's chintziest.

Berton is less skilled at relaying scientific stories about the formation of the falls, and the energy and chemical industries. He also seems less than passionate when writing about big business deals - his treatment of power-mavens Adam Beck and Robert Moses palls beside his treatment of activist Lois Gibbs or "riverman" Red Hill. As a result, the book is somewhat inconsistent and (ironically, considering the subject matter) does not always flow.

Conspicuously missing from "Niagara" is ancient Native American history and the eventful history of the last 20 years. The former may not be possible to write for lack of information, but the latter (which includes the establishment of a gambling casino overlooking the Falls) warrants an update. Also lacking is some of the political history surrounding the Falls. For all these reasons, this is more a three-and-a-half star book than a full four star book. But I'm givivng it four because it was fun to read and provided me, as a native of Western New York, with some history of my home region. I'm not sure how interesting all this will be for those with no personal experience of the Falls, but for those of us who do, its worth reading.

If you're curious about Niagara Falls, and want to know more about its geological and social history told in an highly engaging narrative style, this book is highly recommended. All aspects of the area and the natural phenomenon known as Niagara Falls is covered, with detailed stories about both the New York and Canadian sides. Interesting illustrations complement the text. Included are a wide range of topics, including the stories of the daredevils who tried to conquer the Falls to the more serious subject of Love Canal.