Victorian Life

Most settler children owned only two outfits—one for wear every day and one for Sunday. Children’s Clothing of the 1800s shows readers how children dressed in the 19th century and how the early settlers were masters of recycling by passing clothes down from child to child, darning them, or using them to make other things like rag rugs.

From the perspective of brother and sister John and Emily, we are taken through a day in the life of a child growing up in the 19th Century. As soon as the sun rises, the day starts for this family of early settlers. They go on their long walk to their one-room school for the day's lessons and they end the day with their chores back at the home.

For a quarter century, Glenn Cochrane, of CFTO's six o'clock news, left viewers with a smile by scouring the city for the genuine eccentrics and landmark fests that put Hogtown on the map.

Throughout 1812 and 1813, Upper Canada had been the principle target for a succession of American invasions and attacks. Fortunately they all had been repulsed, but at a high cost in lives and the devastation of property on both sides of the border. By the beginning of 1814, both sides were determined to bring the war to an end with a decisive victory through an escalated commitment of men and military resources.

Faces on Places takes us up into the the sky to the fascinating world of creatures and icons that watch over Toronto and its inhabitants. Terry Murray invites readers to delve into the little-know and often overlooked grotesque world of gargoyles and cherubs and caricuatures that adorn some of Toronto's most prominent buildings.

In April 1813 the Americans launched a new campaign to conquer Upper Canada, after their failure to do so in 1812. However, following initial victories, the U.S. assault stalled as a combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia, and Native allies counterattacked, throwing the Americans entirely onto the defensive by the end of June. During the next six months, this seesaw of military advantage was repeated again and again as each side escalated its commitment of men and resources and fought to gain the "final" victory.

The War of 1812 resulted in a surging sense of nationalism for both the United States and Canada. This fascinating book looks at the achievements of the military leaders and other key figures involved in the conflict during this time of nation-building.

For Canadians, the War of 1812 has held various meanings at different times. In the immediate aftermath, alongside the “Loyalist” narrative of fleeing from the defeat of the British at the hands of American rebels, the war was regarded as redemptive for those still loyal to British North America. From the American perspective, it is merely one in a host of small-scale wars in North America, and the events of 1812–1815 are mostly forgotten in the collective memory of the United States.

In 1812, the future of British North America hung in the balance as the United States declared war with the avowed goal of conquering the Canadas and removing British influence from the continent forever.

In his second of six books in the series Upper Canada Preserved — War of 1812, author Richard Feltoe continues a battlefield chronicle that combines the best of modern historical research with extensive quotes from original official documents and personal letters, bringing to life the crucial first six months of the 1813 American campaign to invade and conquer Upper Canada. The Pendulum of War documents the course of more than seven major battles and over a dozen minor engagements that were fought on the St.

If a city is its people, and its people are what they eat, then shouldn’t food play a larger role in our dialogue about how and where we live? The food of a metropolis is essential to its character. Native plants, proximity to farmland, the locations of supermarkets, immigration, the role chefs can and should play in society - how a city nourishes itself makes a statement about the kind of city it is.

Rifke (Rosalie Wise Sharp) grew up in North Toronto in a household very different from those of her peers. Her family's traditional Yiddish customs and hard life style made her feel like she was born into the wrong family. Over the course of her life - and its many experiences that range from despair to incredible wealth - Rifke realized the spartan lifestyle of her parents did wonders to stretch her mind, her creativity, and the importance of remember one's roots. 

Unbuilt Toronto explores never-realized building projects in and around Toronto, from the citys founding to the twenty-first century. Delving into unfulfilled and largely forgotten visions for grand public buildings, landmark skyscrapers, highways, subways, and arts and recreation venues, it outlines such ambitious schemes as St. Alban's Cathedral, the Queen subway line and early city plans that would have resulted in a Paris-by-the-Lake.

Visiting a Village is an ideal introduction to understanding the concept of community. Children will learn how the settlers worked together with a spirit of cooperation by trading their goods and services with each other. Knowing about what they might see on their first visit to an historic site will help spark a child’s curiosity.

The War of 1812 is an important part of Canadian history. Fought during a period of nation-building in North America, this war helped to cement Caada's sense of national pride having successfully repelled an invasion. 

Twenty-five fascinating images that offer a 360º panorama of the Toronto's downtown in 1856-57 mark the beginning of the use of photographs to document Toronto's growth, its achievements, its great civic works, and its citizenry. Since 1856, the City of Toronto has been commissioning photographs to document and to promote it.

This book, published to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the city's incorporation, brings together more than 100 of these images, selected by city archivists from their collection of hundreds of thousands.

Mike Filey’s column “The Way We Were” first appeared in the Toronto Sunday Sun not long after the first edition of the paper hit the newsstands on September 16, 1973. Now, almost four decades later, Filey’s column has enjoyed an uninterrupted stretch as one of the newspaper’s most widely read features. In 1992 a number of his columns were reprinted in Toronto Sketches: “The Way We Were.” Since then another nine volumes have been published, each of which has attained great success.

With Toronto, Ontario as a featured example, Life in a Residential City provides insight for children into living in the housing zone of a big modern city. With a focus on where people live as opposed to where they work, this book explains the many different areas of a city that make living possible, including the people, the traffic, the roads and the buildings.

Early pioneers would travel from far and wide to visit the gristmill for the essential service of having their grain ground. Communities often developed in areas where gristmills had been built. In The Gristmill young readers will find out how the miller produced flour, the staple of life, as well as learn many facts, such as how wheat becomes bread, where the gristmill was located and why it was a necessary part of the community and the job of the millers.

What is the ‘Toronto look’? Glass skyscrapers rise beside Victorian homes, and Brutalist apartment buildings often mark the edge of leafy ravines, creating a city of contrasts whose architectural look can only be defined by telling the story of how it came together and how it works, today, as an imperfect machine.

This is the story of a city and how it grew from an unknown and sparsely populated place to the sprawling, colorful metropolis that more than three million people call home.

The Call to Arms is the first of six books in the series Upper Canada Preserved — War of 1812. Each book in this battlefield-based chronicle combines the best of modern historical research with extensive quotations from original official documents and personal letters to bring to life this crucial period of Canada's early history. Numerous historical images of locations are counterpointed with comparable modern perspectives to give a true then-and-now effect.

Pivotal battles waged before, during, and after the War of 1812 are detailed in this fascinating book. Battles between the United States and the British and Canadians saw gains and losses of territory for both sides, all of which proved to be only temporary. For the Native Indians who fought on each side, the result was the loss of their land and autonomy.

In 1812, the Napoleonic Wars in far-off Europe began a chain of actions that would lead the United States into war against Britain and its colonies in Canada in the New World. This fascinating book reveals how U.S. president James Madison declared war on Britain for harming U.S. trade with Europe by naval blockade, for impressing U.S.

Ronald J. Dale's richly-illustrated book provides insight into aspects of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s history often unknown to visitors. From its establishment as the first capitol of Ontario, to the founding of the province’s first newspaper, to the auspicious and renouned Shaw Festival - the book contains helpful information along with excellent suggestions of landmarks for you to discover. A perfect companion for your visit to one of Southern Ontario's most picturesque towns. 

This illustrated dictionary introduces readers to early celebrations of Christmas in North America and around the world. Beautiful illustrations focus on Christmas customs and traditions in the Victorian era, especially those practiced by the early settlers in North America. Each spread features a particular Christmas theme and explains its origin.

Since the election of Mayor David Miller in November 2003, Toronto has experienced a wave of civic pride and enthusiasm not felt in decades. At long last, Torontonians see their city as a place of possibility and potential. Visions of a truly workable, liveable and world-class city are once again dancing in citizens’ heads.

The Second World War had been under way for a year when Marie and John Williamson welcomed two English brothers to join them and their two children in their small house in north Toronto for the duration of the conflict. Marie wrote over 150 letters to the boys’ mother, Margaret Sharp, imagining that she could make Margaret feel she was still with her children. She shepherded the boys through education decisions and illnesses, eased them into a strange new life, and rejoiced when they embraced unfamiliar winter sports.