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Debunking the Dead Hero Myth
Searching for Franklin a vivid account of the ill-fated expedition doomed by the hubris of its leader Review by Jamie Portman / Postmedia News for National Post, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Vancouver Sun, Windsor Star and other publications I have a feeling that history is on the ropes at our schools…
Read MoreSearching for Franklin goes on the road
The big Toronto blow-out at the Tranzac Club on November 7 is launching in partnership with Adventure Canada (AC). Details are still being hammered out. Meanwhile, AC is sponsoring a contest offering people a chance to win a $5,000 USD travel credit. This can be used towards any 2024 Ocean Endeavour expedition operated by Adventure…
Read MoreFirst review hails “rewrite of Arctic history”
By Dave Obee Editor/Publisher Victoria Times-Colonist Sir John Franklin has been one of the most controversial, and misunderstood, figures in the history of exploration of Canada’s north. In this book, Ken McGoogan provides a fresh look at what made Franklin tick – and the factors that caused him to send so many men to early…
Read MoreFranklin book inspires Canadian Geographic
Ken and Louie at the ruins of the cairn John Rae built in 1854 (Photo: Cameron Treleaven) Excerpt from Searching for Franklin: New Answers to the Great Arctic Mystery Arctic historian Ken McGoogan takes an in-depth, contemporary perspective on the legacy of Sir John Franklin, offering a new explanation of the famous Northern mystery OCT 05,…
Read MoreAhoy! the 3-Ocean Franklin Extravaganza
Let’s Make History Exciting Again!
That’s what I heard myself saying today when Greg Marchildon interviewed me for a Champlain Society podcast. He asked why I had called Searching for Franklin my most ambitious book yet. That’s all it took to got me rolling. Many people think that, as a subject area worth studying, History is in danger of disappearing — especially…
Read MoreThe Franklin Book in 56 Seconds
Adventure Canada Book-Tour Extravaganza
The headline doesn’t do it justice. Full title: The Adventure-Canada, Searching-for-Franklin, Ocean-to-Ocean-to-Ocean, Book-Tour Extravaganza. Yes, we’re launching my new book, going voyaging in the Northwest Passage, and offering YOU a chance to win a $5,000 voucher to come sailing with us. Let’s break that down. My publisher, Douglas & McIntyre, has produced a splendiferous objet…
Read MoreNWP voyagers visit John Rae Plaque
Earlier this week, about 50 Northwest Passage voyagers landed on Boothia Peninsula to pay homage to explorer John Rae by visiting the John Rae Plaque and Cairn. Marine biologist Pierre Richard, pictured above taking a selfie at the site, was the one who let me know. Over the years, while sailing with Adventure Canada, I…
Read MoreA Pierre Berton House that Time forgot
A dilapidated ruin. A complete wreck. A candidate for demolition. Alas, I speak of the home in which Pierre Berton lived for decades — the house in Kleinburg, north of Toronto, where he wrote so many important books. Here is a short video that shows you what I am talking about. I guess this and…
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