Photo de l'auteur
7 oeuvres 142 utilisateurs 5 critiques

A propos de l'auteur

Comprend les noms: Roy Macskimming

Œuvres de Roy MacSkimming

Gordie: A Hockey Legend (1994) 39 exemplaires
Macdonald: a Novel (2007) — Auteur — 20 exemplaires
Laurier in Love (2010) 8 exemplaires
Formentera (1972) 3 exemplaires

Étiqueté

Partage des connaissances

Nom canonique
MacSkimming, Roy
Date de naissance
1944
Sexe
male
Nationalité
Canada
Lieu de naissance
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Lieux de résidence
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Perth, Ontario, Canada
Études
University of Toronto

Membres

Critiques

I'm not in the publishing industry, but the book manages a narrative to impart the general, while obviously littered with particulars, some of which I will retain. There's a handy chronology in the back that I will reference in the future. The characters that arise are memorable, including McClelland and Hurtig, especially. It took me a blasted long time to read it and a lot of dedicated sessions, but I think it was worth it. Respect for Canadian small presses.
 
Signalé
biblioclair | 2 autres critiques | Jun 20, 2023 |
A really interesting of the book publishing industry in Canada. This industry faces many challenges, including a relatively small market, huge competition from American and British publishers, and the dominance of Chapters/Indigo. In spite of that, companies have managed to find and develop Canadian authors and Canadian markets. The book is well written and engaging. I would love to read a sequel on the industry since 2006!

Warning: you may discover new titles or authors to add to your TBR stacks!… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
LynnB | 2 autres critiques | Sep 8, 2020 |
This book started off somewhat odd but amply redeemed itself by the end. It chronicles the last months of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, as narrated by his personal secretary. We follow the 1891 election campaign, revelations about a scandal in Quebec, and Sir John's declining health, all with the immediacy afforded by present-tense narration. Normally this type of narration bothers me, but honestly I didn't notice until the end of the first chapter, and by the end of the second chapter I was pretty much reconciled with it. What I did have difficulty with was Chapter 2, which I didn't realize was being told from Sir John's perspective until several paragraphs in. That required a reread to help me get my bearings. But that confusion was likely my fault, because Sir John's occasional interludes *are* mentioned in the back cover blurb, which I read but apparently not attentively enough!

The story itself is packed with details to command the reader's attention, and the characters are vividly drawn, pulling you into their world. Toward the end of the book, it's very moving to see both sides of the House of Commons come together as they mark the end of an era. Laurier's eulogy (presumably taken from Hansard) nearly brought me to tears. It was wonderful to see that even though these two men disagreed so dramatically in their political views, they still respected and admired each other as opponents and people.

There are a few deviations from the historical record, and places where the author undoubtedly had to make up dialogue and draw his own conclusions based on his knowledge of the "characters", but unless you are a serious Macdonald scholar you probably won't notice, and even if you do, the book does not purport to be non-fiction, so it is nothing to worry about. Recommended for Canadian history buffs.
… (plus d'informations)
 
Signalé
rabbitprincess | 1 autre critique | Oct 27, 2011 |
A fantastic overview of publishing and its history in Canada. Updated from the hardcover edition, which was published in 2003. One that I will definitely read again.

http://lebookshelf.tumblr.com/post/4779844681/1-the-perilous-trade-book-publishi...
½
 
Signalé
the_bookshelf | 2 autres critiques | Jun 13, 2011 |

Prix et récompenses

Statistiques

Œuvres
7
Membres
142
Popularité
#144,865
Évaluation
½ 3.7
Critiques
5
ISBN
23

Tableaux et graphiques