The Best Canadian History Books 2025

1. William Irvine : The Life of a Prairie Radical, Used [Paperback]

Along with J.S. Woodsworth, William Irvine was one of the pioneers of socialism in Canada, a member of the radical Ginger Group, progenitor of the C.C.F. and N.D.P. In the wake of the First World War Irvine struggled relentlessly to organize Alberta farmers for political action. Elected to Parliament in 1921, he along with close friend Woodsworth were the sole labour representatives in the House: they worked incessantly against the monopoly power of large corporations and financial institutions. Together they laid the basis for a socialist challenge to the Eastern-dominated, two-party system in Canada. William Irvine: The Life of a Prairie Radical chronicles his immense contribution to the search for political alternatives in this country, a contribution that can still be felt in Canadian politics today.

William Irvine : The Life of a Prairie Radical, Used [Paperback]

2. Arizona Charlie and the Klondike Kid [Hardcover - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Arizona Charlie was King of the Cowboys--crack shot, a champion lasso twirler and a fearless horseman. He was famous all over the world. And he'd come to live in the gold rush town of Dawson City. The year is 1899. The place is Dawson City, Yukon. Ben longs to be a Wild West star, just like Arizona Charlie. He practices lassoing. He perfects his aim with a slingshot. At last he gets a place in the closing act of the Wild West show. Ben prepares to perform in front of a packed house, but the performance does not go as he expected. Will Ben earn the title that he dreams of? Will he become the Klondike Kid?

Arizona Charlie and the Klondike Kid, Used [Hardcover]

3. Forgotten Trail, Used [Hardcover]

Few events loom larger in Canadian history than the Klondike Gold Rush. The most famous path to the gold fields- through Dyea in Alaska, over the Chilkoot Pass, down the Yukon by boat- was by no means the only route travelled by gold seekers. Of the several Canadian gateways to the Klondike, the Stikine route was the most heavily used, but, ironically, the least known and least written about. It involved a gruelling trip up the Stikine River by boat or ice sled as far as the communities of Glenora and Telegraph Creek, then overland by horseback or foot to Teslin Lake, and finally by canoe down the Teslin and Yukon Rivers to Dawson. Intrigued by what evidence of the gold rush still lingered on this century-old trail, Vancouver Sun journalist Larry Pynn set out to retrace the route during the summer of 1992. For six weeks he trekked 1,500 kilometres- on foot, horseback and by canoe. Along the way, Pynn encountered some of Canada's most rugged and beautiful terrain. He also discovered many relics- a wooden telegraph pole teetering in the distance, the skeletal remains of a line cabin- from the long-vanished gold rush era. And there's a cast of colourful characters, from back-to-the-landers and commercial fishermen to miners operating a modern-day gold mine and pilots involved in a daring search-and-rescue of the author himself. A dramatic, modern-day adventure, The Forgotten Trail is a fascinating and entertaining story of Canada's gold rush history.

The Forgotten Trail : One Man's Adventures along the Canadian Route to the Klondike, Used [Hardcover]

4. Nahanni [Hardcover - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. .

Nahanni, Used [Hardcover]

5. Touring the Cabot Trail [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. The Cabot Trail is famed for spectacular views of mountains, ocean and forest. Then there are its hidden treasures -- its sandy beaches and peaceful woodland trails, the habitat of wild birds and animals, as well as many species of wildflowers and trees. This book offers the visitor a guide to the Cabot Trail itself, and to many of the other fine attractions of Cape Breton Island. More than a hundred images by photographer Keith Vaughan capture the area at its best. Author Susan Biagi shares her knowledge of Cape Breton's heritage and culture, with information and suggestions about the best attractions to visit. Whether it's whale watching, birding, hiking, swimming, golfing or simply sight-seeing you enjoy, this book will help you make the most of your tour of the Cabot Trail and Cape Breton Island. It also makes a wonderful souvenir of one of Canada's most beautiful and unforgettable areas.

Touring the Cabot Trail, Used [Paperback]

6. Pre-Owned The Farfarers: Before the Norse (Paperback) by Farley Mowat

CONDITION â USED: Books sold are in GOOD or better condition. Good Condition: Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket may not be included, minimal wear to binding, most of the pages undamaged(e.g., minimal creases or tears), highlighting / underlining acceptable on books as long as the text is readable and markings are not excessive, no missing pages. May be a former library book, with usual treatments(e.g., mylar covers, call stickers, stamps, card pockets, barcodes, or remainder marks). Extra components, such as CDs, DVDs, figurines, or access codes are not included. ISBN: 9780385659260 ISBN10: 0385659261 Contributors: Farley Mowat,

ISBN: 9780385659260 Condition: Pre-Owned: Good Trade paperback Language: English Pages: 528 Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 528 p. In this provocative bestseller, Farley Mowat challenges the conventional notion that the Vikings were the first Europeans to reach northern Canada. Mowat offers instead an unforgettable portrait of the Albans, a race originating from the island now known as Britain. Battered by repeated invasions from their aggressive neighbours--Celt, Roman and Norse--the Albans boarded seaworthy, skin-covered boats and fled west. Their search for safety, and for the massive walrus herds on which their survival depended, took them first to Iceland, then to Greenland, and, finally, to the land now known as Newfoundland and Labrador. Skillfully weaving together clues gathered from forty years of research, Mowat presents a fascinating account of a forgotten history. The Farfarers affirms Mowat's status as one of Canada's most powerful chroniclers.

7. Exile in the Wilderness: The Biography of Chief Factor Archibald McDonald, 1790-1853, Used [Hardcover]

Exile in the Wilderness: The Biography of Chief Factor Archibald McDonald, 1790-1853 by Jean M. Cole

Exile in the Wilderness: The Biography of Chief Factor Archibald McDonald, 1790-1853, Used [Hardcover]

8. Klondike Trail: The Complete Hiking and Paddling Guide [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Follow the path of the stampeders along the legendary gold rush route over the Chilkoot Pass and down the Yukon River to the Klondike goldfields. Photos, sketches and 52 maps accompany route descriptions and essential information about trip preparation, access and supplies. Safety and comfort for travelers of all ages is emphasized throughout. Other sections feature the natural environment, aboriginal and gold rush histories, and the wildlife of this vast northern wilderness.

Klondike Trail: The Complete Hiking and Paddling Guide [Paperback - Used]

9. Polar Winds: A Century of Flying the North, Used [Paperback]

Polar Winds traces a century of northern flight from balloonatics to bush pilots and beyond. "They were all gamblers and fortune seekers. They did things on their own -- were independent people who wanted to be free to roam. They were good people, but, of course, some were loners or escapists. They all depended strictly on their wits." Joe McBryan, pilot and owner of Yellowknife-based Buffalo Airways, was talking about gold prospectors in the 1940s when he said this, but he could just as easily have been describing the aviators who have flown northern skies for over a hundred years. They were adventurers and pioneers, but also just men and women doing what was required to make a living north of the sixtieth parallel. Polar Winds uses the stories of these pilots and others to explore the greater history of air travel in the North, from the Klondike Gold Rush through to the end of the twentieth century. It encompasses everything from exploration flights to the North Pole in airships to passenger travel in jet liners; flying school buses for residential schools to indigenous pilots performing mercy flights; and from the harrowing crashes to the routine supply runs that make up daily life in the North. Above all, it is a unique history told through the experiences of northerners on the ground and in the sky.

Polar Winds: A Century of Flying the North, Used [Paperback]

10. Toronto Sketches 12: The Way We Were [Paperback - Used]

CONDITION - USED - Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels or previous owner inscriptions. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, may not be included. Mike Filey brings the stories of Toronto, its people and places, to life. Mike Filey's column "The Way We Were" first appeared in the Toronto Sunday Sun not long after the paper's first edition hit newsstands on September 16, 1973. Now, almost four decades later, Filey's column has had an uninterrupted stretch as one of the newspaper's most widely read features. In 1992, a number of his columns were reprinted in Toronto Sketches: "The Way We Were." Since then another eleven volumes have been published to great success, with over 5,000 copies sold. In his latest compilation, Filey recounts the story of the controversial (though not altogether surprising) renovations at Union Station, as well as the history of Toronto's own Kennedy family.

Toronto Sketches 12 : The Way We Were, Used [Paperback]