Welcome to the White Mountain Publications Newsletter
June 6, 2020
The Store continues--and we are cautiously re-opening June 9th.
Heading into our seventh year here in Cobalt. We've used the shut-down time to clear out and renovate, and typeset. Since I can count on less than one hand times when 5 people at one time were ever in the store --and that's in 6 years-- social distancing should not be an issue. It's a small but intriguing place. We have always wiped down commonly touched areas, and most books were cleaned with hand santizer before they went on the shelves. (Really, that's the way it's always been here--I don't know where these books have been...and we've always been a bit paranoid.)
So if people can be continue to be reasonable, everything should work out. We ask that you wear a mask, if possible. Of course if you're not well, you shouldn't be out and around anyway. People have been kind and very understanding. Please stop in if you're in the area. Love to meet you. I promise not to shake your hand or hug you.
Hope you are all well and safe. Please stay that way.
Canadian Writers' Contest Calendar 2020 going strong
While you presumably have time, your writing goals for 2020 may be more attainable. Time moves pretty fast; please don't wait. Get those words out into the world.
This is our 18th year compiling this resource for writers and there are always many changes each year. The ebook formats are still available, but we are out of print copies. If you're choosing the Kindle version, please read the additional instructions here.
We are already assembling information for the 2021 edition, so if you know of contests that should be included don't wait to tell us. The pre-publication discount is already posted.
Our Newest Offerings:
Serving The North, The George Taylor Hardware Story by Bruce W. Taylor.
Serving the North is the intriguing story of a family who worked together to form a critical part of the development of north-eastern Ontario. Family-oriented, community-minded, George Taylor Hardware supplied the people and the industries with the parts, energy and expertise needed in a fast-growing Temiskaming District from 1901 to its sale in 1968.
This is not just the story of a small local hardware store that grew into one of the largest wholesale hardware merchants in Ontario. It is also the story of the development of Northeastern Ontario and Northwestern Quebec, from small, remote, inaccessible villages carved out of the bush, to large towns that prospered as farms were established, minerals discovered, a railway was built, and industries established. It provides a veritable who's-who of early Temiskaming, intersecting with other histories of the area in a unique perspective.
Available now in print and coming in ebook formats.
Into the Artistic Heart of Europe: On the Canals of the Netherlands and Belgium, April 2019 by Tom Roach and Lucie Edwards. The beginning of April marks the arrival of spring in the Netherlands and in Belgium. Tulips in the cities and in the fields are already in bloom and, most marvellous of all, the trees are producing baby leaves that quickly grow and turn the two countries a bright green. Both the Netherlands and Flemish Belgium (Northern Belgium, the part they visited) have a lot in common having, at one time, been part and parcel of the Spanish Empire. This book chronicles their trip. Available as ebooks only.
Trailmix by Mike Camp. His life's work in writing, painting, sculptures, and teaching combined in this limited edition volume of 240 pages containing 44 poems, 3 plays, 25 essays, 2 short stories and 87 colour photographs of the sculptures, paintings and selected articles published. Also included 1 DVD containing 2 short movies: Beaver Trapper and Vigrass Lake Adventures.
Cal Taylor~The War Years, an autobiographical account of Cal's WW II service with the RCAF.
Selected Chapters of Temiskaming Heritage~Chapter Two is now available. This is a collection of the Proceedings from the Cobalt Historical Society's 2019 symposium.
Stephen Lafricain
Grand Old Man of the River
by Bruce W. Taylor
Stephen Lafricain was born in 1837, and in his 99 years witnessed much history in both Canada and the United States, including treaty signing, the decline of the fur trade, the opening of northeastern Ontario to great mineral wealth. Well worth the read, and the history. Short-listed for the Northern Ontario Lit Award, but sadly was not chosen. (Well they can only chose one...)
Steep Rock, The Men and the Mines also by Bruce W. Taylor is a comprehensive history of the very exciting development of the Steep Rock iron deposits near Atikokan, Ontario. This second edition of the original published in 1978, provides an enduring account of this massive enterprise.
Airy Somethings: The Extraordinary Life of the Aviation Pioneer Horatio Barber by Terry Grace and Maggie Wilson. Horatio Barber was involved in a variety of business ventures: farming, silver and gold mining, and then in the 1910s, aeroplane design, construction, and piloting. His businesses ranged from bona fide to unethical to outright scams. A fascinating story of an extraordinary man; an exceptional life from the pioneering days of heavier than air flight.
A Place Called Krugerdorf by Herb Kruger. A history of this once-thriving Northern Ontario community, lost to the passage of time.
Immigrant in Porcupine and His Later Journal by Magne E Stortroen combines his two autobiographies in this re-printed edition. Arriving in 1923 from Norway he describes with a wry sense of humour the conditions in the Porcupine logging camps and mines in the 1920s, 1930s.
And Favourites in the store...
Cobalt~The Cradle of Hard Rock Mining in Canada A colour pictorial with quotes about Cobalt from the people and places at the time when the whole world knew where Cobalt was on a map. Perfect and affordable souvenir honouring Cobalt's past.
Missing in Cobalt by Terry Cassidy is a murder mystery set in Cobalt 1949. A young woman's body is discovered in the ice in a Buffalo Mines adit, and from there, we have to discover who she is, how she got there, and of course, who did it. Have had rave reviews on this one. And yes, it is fiction.
Books are a great gift for any time of year. They stand the test of time, become part of your life. The good ones can change your life, your perception of the world. Consider a great book for your gift giving year round.
As a reminder to those who have said they would post a review on TripAdvisor, doing so would be a huge favour and show of support (and thank-you to those who did). At least five people came into the store last summer saying that is where they discovered our store. The link is here: TripAdvisor reviews for White Mountain Publications, aka White Mountain Books. We appreciate all your support.
We have compiled a list of the books we handle for the Little Claybelt Homesteaders Museum, similar to the one we have for the old Highway Book Shop books.
Yes, we continued to be busy. Hope all is well with you and yours. Take this unique opportunity for reflection and make this a great, if challenging, year.