More than once, Tom Murray held someone as that person died in his arms in N. Ireland during the conflict between the Irish Republican Army factions and the British Army during the troubles from the '70s. One of those times was an undercover Captain of the British intelligence who was shot several times by the PIRA at point-blank range, during a PIRA Easter parade.Born a Catholic in Derry in the heart of the Bogside on the 12th of July. The very day the Protestant Orangemen march t...

Few stories in the annals of railroading are as compelling as the construction, evolution, and astounding successes of the Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways. This sprawling volume combines two of Voyageur Press' most successful Railroad Color History titles into one volume taking in the grand scope of both railroads. Author Tom Murray presents fastidiously researched and concisely presented histories of each railroad, along with more than 300 photographs, including rare archi...

In the mid-1920s, the author’s great-grandfather, Thomas E. Murray, bought Wickapogue, a large “cottage” on a vast piece of property overlooking the ocean in Southampton, on the south fork of Long Island, New York. TEM was born into near poverty in Albany, New York, in 1860, in a working-class neighborhood of Irish immigrants. He was only nine years old when he had to drop out of school, after his father, older sister, and infant brother all died within five months from a cholera outbreak....

I look at these fields and I try to imagine what they were: crop fields, maybe. Or fields of sheep. And these… power lines. I try to imagine that they lead somewhere – but they never do. Only under.In 1631, The Fens, the flat area of land stretching from Cambridge to Norwich, were drained.In 2050, The Fens return to the sea. Two children play in the waterscape. They tell tales of a mythic Waterman, who scours the water for sunken parts. But, in the bitter struggle ...

Keita Ali is on the run.Like every boy on the mountainous island of Zantoroland, running is all Keita’s ever wanted to do. In one of the poorest nations in the world, running means respect. Running means riches—until Keita is targeted for his father’s outspoken political views and discovers he must run for his family’s survival.He signs on with notorious marathon agent Anton Hamm, but when Keita fails to place among the top finishers in his first race, he escapes into Freed...

Russia has the Trans-Siberian Highway, Australia has Highway 1, and Canada has the Trans-Canada Highway, an iconic road that stretches almost 8,000 kilometres across six time zones.In the summer of 2012, on the highway's 50th birthday, Mark Richardson drove its entire length to find out how the road came to be and what it's now become. In his daily account of the 10-week road trip, originally published as a blog on macleans.ca, he follows the original "pathfinders," Thomas...

Rails Across the Prairies traces the evolution of Canada's rail network, including the appearance of the first steam engine on the back of a barge. The book looks at the arrival of European settlers before the railway and examines how they coped by using ferry services on the Assiniboine and North Saskatchewan Rivers. The work then follows the building of the railways, the rivalries of their owners, and the unusual irrigation works of Canadian Pacific Railway. The towns were nearl...

Whether you hike, bike, ride the rails, or drive, the shore of Lake Ontario can yield a treasure trove of heritage sites and natural beauty -- if you know where to look.Travel with Ron Brown as he probes the shoreline of the Canadian side of Lake Ontario to discover its hidden heritage. Explore "ghost ports," forgotten coves, historical lighthouses, rumrunning lore, and even the location of a top-secret spy camp. The area also contains some unusual natural features, including a mys...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREA mission to Mars. A freak accident. One man’s struggle to survive. From the author of Project Hail Mary comes “a hugely entertaining novel that reads like a rocket ship afire” (Chicago Tribune).“Brilliant . . . a celebration of human ingenuity [and] the purest example of real-science sci-fi for many years . . . utterly compelling.”—The Wall Stre...

The Rough Guides Snapshot Canada: Ontario is the ultimate travel guide to this province of Canada. It leads you through the region with reliable information and comprehensive coverage of all the sights and attractions, from amiable Ottawa and elegant Bayfield to the crystal clear waters of Fathom Five National Marine Park and the thundering Niagara Falls. Detailed maps and up-to-date listings pinpoint the best cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops, bars and nightlife,...

Canada in the twenty-first century is a place of growth and expansion. Cities like Vancouver and Toronto have become word-class destinations for business and tourism. Meanwhile, smaller, less prominent communities face changes of different sorts, as residents depart for the opportunities present in our country’s largest cities. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Canada’s prairie provinces.Despite changes in population and the loss of such essential services as schools, post offi...

William C. Van Horne was one of North America's most accomplished men. Born in Illinois in 1843, Van Horne started working in the railway business at a young age. In 1881 he was lured north to Canada to become general manager of the fledgling Canadian Pacific Ralway. The railroading general pushed through construction of the CPR's transcontinental line and then went on to become the company's president. During his time with the CPR, Van Horne developed a telegraph service, launched the Emp...