The Toronto Book of the Dead
Will be published approx. on 23. November 2017
Book
Paperback/Softback
424 pages
978-1-4597-3806-5 (ISBN)
Description
Exploring Toronto's history through the stories of its most fascinating and shadowy deaths.
If these streets could talk...
With morbid tales of war and plague, duels and executions, suicides and seances, Toronto's past is filled with stories whose endings were anything but peaceful. The Toronto Book of the Dead delves into these: from ancient First Nations burial mounds to the grisly murder of Toronto's first lighthouse keeper; from the rise and fall of the city's greatest Victorian baseball star to the final days of the world's most notorious anarchist.
Toronto has witnessed countless lives lived and lost as it grew from a muddy little frontier town into a booming metropolis of concrete and glass. The Toronto Book of the Dead tells the tale of the ever-changing city through the lives and deaths of those who made it their final resting place.
If these streets could talk...
With morbid tales of war and plague, duels and executions, suicides and seances, Toronto's past is filled with stories whose endings were anything but peaceful. The Toronto Book of the Dead delves into these: from ancient First Nations burial mounds to the grisly murder of Toronto's first lighthouse keeper; from the rise and fall of the city's greatest Victorian baseball star to the final days of the world's most notorious anarchist.
Toronto has witnessed countless lives lived and lost as it grew from a muddy little frontier town into a booming metropolis of concrete and glass. The Toronto Book of the Dead tells the tale of the ever-changing city through the lives and deaths of those who made it their final resting place.
Reviews / Votes
Adam Bunch has hit upon the clever idea of recounting the stories of dead men and women who once lived in Toronto to bring the history of our patch to vivid life. * Toronto Star * Adam Bunch has compiled one of the most fascinating Toronto historical books ever - I never knew how much I wanted to know how local residents have met their demise. Let's update the city's motto to 'Dying Morbidly Our Strength.' * Matthew Blackett, Publisher of Spacing magazine * Sometimes gross, always engrossing, Bunch weaves well-known Toronto histories with those that should - and thanks to Bunch's efforts - will be better known. With compelling storytelling and evocative geographies, The Toronto Book of the Dead brings Toronto's history uncannily to life. * Daniel Rotsztain, author of All the Libraries Toronto * Bunch is a skilled storyteller. In The Toronto Book of the Dead he brings the city's diverse former inhabitants to life and reanimates the places we know with their stories. The result is an engaging and often suspenseful series of vignettes - a love letter to the city he calls home. * Jennifer Bonnell, Assistant Professor, Department of History, York University * A deeply researched book that documents how much of Toronto has been built on the backs of those who are now long gone - alongside accounts of the strange and sometimes gruesome ways these characters died. * Toronto Life * What a great storyteller! * Matt Galloway, Metro Morning * An amazing must-read about Toronto's history. * Book Time * Like taking a tour of Toronto, with a very knowledgeable tour guide who knows the more somber parts of the city's past. * Literary Treats * Sometimes gruesome, sometimes eerie ... Highly fascinating and very informative. * Westend Weekly * With stories that range from gruesome to heartbreaking, The Toronto Book of the Dead is an engaging and fascinating look into some of the darker moments of Toronto's past. * Canada's History *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Toronto
Canada
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 126 mm
Thickness: 27 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4597-3806-5 (9781459738065)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Persons
Adam Bunch is the creator of the Toronto Dreams Project, and has written about the history of the city for Spacing Magazine, Torontoist and the Huffington Post. In 2012, he earned an honourable mention for a Governor General's History Award. Adam lives in Toronto.
Content
Foreword: Toronto's Dead History Is Quite Alive by Shawn Micallef
Introduction
Founding
1. The Feast of the Dead
2. The Beaver Wars
3. Elizabeth Simcoe's Nightmare
4. The Murder of Chief Wabakinine
5. The Town's First Hanging and How It Went Wrong
6. Whatever Happened to Peggy Pompadour?
The War of 1812
7. The Battle of York
8. The Bloody Burlington Races
9. The True Story of Toronto's Island Ghost
Democracy
10. The Deadly Duel
11. The Blue Death
12. Revolution! Ish!
13. The Grisly Grave of Robert Baldwin
The Booming Metropolis
14. Black '47 in the Orange City
15. Abraham Lincoln's Shawl
16. Cannonball
17. A Brief History of the Pigeons of Toronto
18. The Tooth
19. The Crooked Knight of Casa Loma
The Great Wars
20. The Group of Seven on the Western Front
21. The Night of the Drowning Nurses
22. The Great Beyond
23. The Most Dangerous Woman in the World
24. I'll Never Smile Again
25. Journey's End
26. How Toppy Topham Died
27. Toronto Hearts Stalingrad
The Modern City
28. Disaster!
29. Neil Young's Hearse and a Dead Man's Name
30. Shoeshine Boy
31. No Sad Songs
32. The Falling Lawyer
Conclusion: The Work of Remembering
Acknowledgements
Selected Bibliography and Further Reading
Introduction
Founding
1. The Feast of the Dead
2. The Beaver Wars
3. Elizabeth Simcoe's Nightmare
4. The Murder of Chief Wabakinine
5. The Town's First Hanging and How It Went Wrong
6. Whatever Happened to Peggy Pompadour?
The War of 1812
7. The Battle of York
8. The Bloody Burlington Races
9. The True Story of Toronto's Island Ghost
Democracy
10. The Deadly Duel
11. The Blue Death
12. Revolution! Ish!
13. The Grisly Grave of Robert Baldwin
The Booming Metropolis
14. Black '47 in the Orange City
15. Abraham Lincoln's Shawl
16. Cannonball
17. A Brief History of the Pigeons of Toronto
18. The Tooth
19. The Crooked Knight of Casa Loma
The Great Wars
20. The Group of Seven on the Western Front
21. The Night of the Drowning Nurses
22. The Great Beyond
23. The Most Dangerous Woman in the World
24. I'll Never Smile Again
25. Journey's End
26. How Toppy Topham Died
27. Toronto Hearts Stalingrad
The Modern City
28. Disaster!
29. Neil Young's Hearse and a Dead Man's Name
30. Shoeshine Boy
31. No Sad Songs
32. The Falling Lawyer
Conclusion: The Work of Remembering
Acknowledgements
Selected Bibliography and Further Reading