Largely drawn from his columns for Canadian Notes & Queries and entries in his popular blog by the same name, Brian Busby's The Dusty Bookcase explores the fascinating world of Canada's lesser-known literary efforts: works that suffered censorship, critical neglect, or brilliant yet fleeting notoriety. These rare and quirky totems of Canadiana, collected over the last three decades, form a travel diary of sorts—yet one without maps. Covering more than 250 books, peppered with observations on the writing and publishing scenes, Busby's work explores our cultural past, questioning why certain works are celebrated and others ignored. Brilliantly illustrated with covers and ephemera related to the titles discussed, The Dusty Bookcase draws much needed attention to unknown writing worthy of our attention, and some of our acclaim.

Largely drawn from his columns for Canadian Notes & Queries and entries in his popular blog by the same name, Brian Busby's The Dusty Bookcase explores the fascinating world of Canada's lesser-known literary efforts: works that suffered censorship, critical neglect, or brilliant yet fleeting notoriety. These rare and quirky totems of Canadiana, collected over the last three decades, form a travel diary of sorts--yet one without maps. Covering more than 250 books, peppered with observations on the writing and publishing scenes, Busby's work explores our cultural past, questioning why certain works are celebrated and others ignored. Brilliantly illustrated with covers and ephemera related to the titles discussed, The Dusty Bookcase draws much needed attention to unknown writing worthy of our attention, and some of our acclaim.

This edition unites all the previous books of this adventure and does not change or modify any excerpt existing in the previous books. The author decided to combine all this work in a single volume and in chronological order of the facts and not of its publication. July 2012 was the month and year that this story began to be written, initially it was scheduled to last only three books. But the author eventually fell in love with the art of writing. All Eight books of this adventure are here at your disposal to you reader, who fell in love with the fanciful world of Askalom.

"In an environment where a public Jewish presence was routinely delegitimized, reading uniquely provided for many Soviet Jews an entry to communal memory and identity. This project decodes the complex reading strategies and the specifically Jewish uses to which the books on the Soviet Jewish bookshelf were put"--

OK2BG is narrative nonfiction, a Memoir about a guy who wants to be a Mentor preferably to a teenager, so they can have a decent & meaningful conversation about stuff & preferably with a kid at-risk, or just otherwise lost, in order to help both the teenager as well as the determined subject of this story realize their unique potential & find or reinforce their place in the world. Overall, a chronicle about the author’s attempt over several years to understand the question of ‘why do I want to be a Mentor’ which eventually helps him become a more insightful person. Subsequently in September, 2010 after a plague of teen suicides, Jack turns his attention to researching gay biographies into optimistically appropriate groups of books for gay kids at-risk, from bullying. After 5 years Jack has categorized 2,000+ books in the form of Memoirs, Biographies & Autobiographies written by or about 1,000+ allegedly gay men. The primary message in OK2BG is to read & reassess before you run asunder!

Born in Ireland in 1879, W.P.M. Kennedy was a distinguished Canadian academic and the leading Canadian constitutional law scholar for much of the twentieth century. Despite his trailblazing career and intriguing personal life, Kennedy's story is largely a mystery. Weaving together a number of key events, Martin L. Friedland's lively biography discusses Kennedy's contributions as a legal and interdisciplinary scholar, his work at the University of Toronto where he founded the Faculty of Law, as well as his personal life, detailing stories about his family and important friends, such as Prime Minister Mackenzie King. Kennedy earned a reputation in some circles for being something of a scoundrel, and Friedland does not shy away from addressing Kennedy's exaggerated involvement in drafting the Irish constitution, his relationships with female students, and his quest for recognition. Throughout the biography, Friedland interjects with his own personal narratives surrounding his interactions with the Kennedy family, and how he came to acquire the private letters noted in the book. The result is a readable, accessible biography of an important figure in the history of Canadian intellectual life.

For 15 weeks, I anticipated David’s lessons. His examples glided along the page. I compare it to skating or singing, performed by a star. Or a tapestry sewn with colourful threads of humanity, with a Wizard’s needle, and a crystal heart. Every line brings clarity. Yes, that’s how I feel. That’s how it should be said. Appearing so effortlessly, yet meant to be. Whether I’m joyful, angry, or lost in my grief. His poems are a nature walk in our mind. Stopping to appreciate the spider webs, and the daisies. Flip flop through the thistles and overgrown grass to reach the ocean. Whether a stroll or a run, I always come out refreshed and in awe! Brenda White, Kingston ON David writes on such a variety of subjects, sometimes funny, other times deep and compelling. His description of natural surroundings is vivid and real. I can always clearly envision what he is writing. The moods he portrays are so easily adapted to my emotions and experiences. I can tell David is passionate about his themes and he has a knack for coming up with the right words to tell a story or paint the perfect picture. I always look forward to one of his poems… it makes my day. Lynn Turney, Streetsville ON