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The Canadian Invasion of Scotland
Canadian invasion forces have swept through the Dunfermline area north of Edinburgh, claiming Broomhall House. This impressive mansion, located on a splendiferous, well-kept estate has been in the family of Robert the Bruce for more than 300 years. The Canadian connection comes via James Bruce, the eighth Earl of Elgin, who had his home here. In…
Read MoreBraving storms in search of John Rae
John Rae Festival turns up a Franklin sailor and a tribute in stained glass
Arctic aficionados should check out this excellent bit of work from the Orkney News about the John Rae Festival. Most are aware that a gorgeous reclining memorial statue to explorer John Rae is one of the highlights of any visit to St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall. Here we see it with the witty and perceptive Fran…
Read MoreOrkney delivers venue, book-buyers, and a letter about John Rae’s last day
Turns out that Orkney was more than ready for me. Wonderful venue, the Orkney Theatre in Kirkwall. Good-sized audience, well-informed. Excellent introduction by my friend Tom Muir. And all those books we brought? Sold every one. I talked about John Rae, the Hall of Clestrain restoration, the Arctic Return Expedition. Had several fun conversations. That…
Read MoreLouie Kamookak discovers John Rae’s cairn
The late Louie Kamookak has rightly been celebrated as a searcher for John Franklin. But more significantly, in my view, Louie was the man who discovered the cairn that explorer John Rae built in 1854, marking the final link in what would prove to be the first navigable Northwest Passage. I touched on that in…
Read MoreDead Reckoning makes Dafoe Prize shortlist
Wonderful to wake up in Melrose, Scotland, to discover that the shortlist for the 2018 John W. Dafoe Book Prize includes Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage. The $10K book prize memorializes John Wesley Dafoe, one of the most significant Canadian editors of the 20th century. It celebrates non-fiction excellence about Canada, Canadians,…
Read MoreWhat does Facebook have on YOU? Now you can find out
Did you ever wonder how much information Facebook has on you? I’ve leaned to the cavalier, big surprise: what am I trying to hide, right? Since the Cambridge Analytica story broke, I’ve wondered more assiduously. And over on Facebook, film-maker Don Young awakened his FB friends to the possibility of finding out just how much…
Read MoreRemembering Louie Kamookak (1959-2018)
The official obituaries I will leave to others. I feel driven to remember Louie Kamookak as my friend. Louie is well-known now as the foremost 21st-century champion of Inuit oral history – that history which, in 2014, led searchers to discover John Franklin’s long-lost flagship, HMS Erebus. For decades, Louie dedicated time and energy to…
Read MoreBringing John Rae to Robert Burns Country
Next week will find me giving talks in Robert Burns Country. I mentioned previously that, thanks to a new “friendship bridge” extending between the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, I have fallen heir to a whirlwind, four-day speaking tour. Now, in response to popular demand, I can provide details. My illustrated…
Read MoreThe Terror? Hailing the hell-bent original
My review of the original novel turned up in the Globe and Mail a decade ago. In response to popular demand, voila, here it is again . . . The Terror: A Novel, by Dan Simmons Reviewed by Ken McGoogan The most impressive achievement of this brilliant historical novel is that the author manages to…
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