Acadian Root Baskets of Atlantic Canada
Joleen Gordon
Atlantic Canada has a rich heritage of basket making. Mi'kmaq and Maliseet First Nations people have woven baskets here for centuries, as have French, Scottish, English, Irish, German, and Black settlers. Acadian Root Baskets of Atlantic Canada explores the art of traditional Acadian basket making, including profiles of three of the last master basket makers in the Atlantic Provinces. Their practices and techniques are carefully explored and incorporated into step-by-step instructions, and are complemented with plentiful and excellent visual guidance. Gordon also examines the history of the craft, describing how Acadian, Black, and Mi'maw styles overlapped and influenced each other, and how important these baskets have been to the Acadians who have created them over the centuries.
92 pp, illustrated, $14.95 A NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
The Acadians: Six full-colour posters of original paintings commissioned from the most recent archaeological evidence of early Acadian life in Nova Scotia.
The Home, 18" x 24", $2.50
Inside the Home, 14.5" x 24", $2.50
Building the Home, 9" x 12", $.75
Saltmarsh Haying, 9" x 12", $.75
Repairing a Dyke, 9" x 12", $.75
Trading, 9" x 12", $.75
Each poster has interpretive questions on the back in both French and English. A full set of six posters, plus three Infos on Acadian life, in both French and English, can be bought for $6.95.
An Album of Drawings of Early Buildings in Nova Scotia
- out of print
Arthur W. Wallace
Architectural drawings and sketches of a number of historically significant Nova Scotian public buildings, private homes, and churches.
64 plates w. notes, 1976, $12.50 (soft cover), $24.95 (hard cover)
Basic Quilting
Polly Greene
Practical instructions for patchwork, based on years of teaching quilting to novice and professional stitchers. Highlights some traditional Nova Scotia patterns.
24pp, illus., 1985, $3.50, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
Basic Weaving
Polly Greene
To be used along with other books on weaving by those anxious to learn how it's done but unable to attend a weaving course.
9pp, illus., 1981, $.50
The Circus Ship Fire
compiled by Helen Goodwin,
Recalls the fire that consumed the circus ship Fleurus in Yarmouth and the role played by the Yarmouth Fire Department.
16pp, illus., 1977, $1.00, a Firefighters Museum of Nova Scotia publication
Colchester Furniture Makers - out of print
compiled by Sheila Stevenson,
Illustrates and describes items in common use in Colchester County homes. Includes an annotated list of makers.
71pp, illus., 1979, $6.95, Colchester Historical Museum Now reduced to $1.99.
Country Colours: A Guide to Natural Dyeing in Nova Scotia
Carolyn Lock - plant illustrations by Fred Scott
Discusses the dyeing of wool using local plants as well as a few exotic and early mineral dyes. Does not give specific recipes, but deals with proportions, procedures, and equipment.
69pp, 1981, $5.95
Elitekey: Micmac Material Culture from 1600 A.D. to the Present
Ruth Holmes Whitehead
Elitekey is Mi'kmak for "I fashion things". This book documents five centuries of Mi'kmaq material culture, covering costume, decorative techniques, birchbark work, porcupine quillwork, work in wood, bone, stone,and natural fibres, and basketry.
84pp, illus., 1980, $9.95
First Impressions: Early Printing in Nova Scotia
Marjory Whitelaw
The story of printing and printers in pre-Confederation Nova Scotia, where the first newspaper in Canada was published.
48pp, illus., 1987, $4.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series.
Following the Sea
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Benjamin Doane
The true adventure story of a young man from Barrington, NS, who went on a whaling voyage into the Pacific in the 1840s. Praised as one of the most remarkable books to be published in Nova Scotia in years. Winner of awards from the American Association of State and Local History in 1987, the Alcuin Award for book design and Design award from the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, 1990.
272 pp, illus., glossary
A NSM/Nimbus co-publication
ISBN 0-920852-88-2
(hardcover) $19.95
ISBN 0-920852-90-4
(softcover) $12.95
From a Coastal Schooner's Log
Claude K. Darrach
Written as fiction but based on fact - the story of two rival skippers in the days of coastal schooners, on visits to Sheet Harbour, Canso, Arichat, and the Magdalens.
142pp, illus., 1979, $5.95
Gingerbread & House Finish of Every Description
Barbara R. Robertson
Have you ever run your hand lovingly over a wooden molding in an old Nova Scotia home or delighted in the Victorian abundance of its decorative trim? If you can answer yes, then this is a book you are sure to enjoy.
70pp, illus., 1990, $6.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series.
Handwoven Hats: A History of Straw, Wood and Rush Hats in Nova Scotia
Joleen Gordon, photographs by Ron Merrick, drawings by George Halverson,
Records the art of straw hat-making, as practised by Jane Hiltz of Lunenburg County. Includes directions for making various hats and a chip sewing basket.
71pp, 1981, $7.95
Houses of Nova Scotia - SOLD OUT!
Allen Penney
A handy field guide to Nova Scotia houses from the grand to the humble. An indispensable tool for anyone who has ever been intrigued by an old home and wanted to find out more about it. Abundantly illustrated and easy to use.
149pp, illus., 1989, $12.95, a NSM/Formac co-publication
King's Bounty: A History of Early Shelburne, Nova Scotia - out of print
Marion Robertson
An exciting and readable social history of the early days of Shelburne.
334pp, illus., 1983, $15.95 (soft cover), $24.95 (hard cover)
Life How Short, Eternity How Long: Gravestone Carving and Carvers in Nova Scotia
Deborah Trask
A lively treatment of a sombre subject, this publication considers materials, design, symbolism, and the individual carvers. Well illustrated.
100pp, illus., 1978, $7.95 (soft cover), $11.95 (hard cover)
The Life of Boston King
Black Loyalist, Minister, and Master Carpenter
Edited by Ruth Holmes Whitehead and Carmelita A.M. Robertson
A first-person story out of African Nova Scotian history, the heart of Boston King’s memoir is his own inner journey. This inspiring tale includes his escape from slavery in South Carolina, his life in Nova Scotia in 1783 and how he became a Methodist minister and eventually returned to Africa as a missionary. Read this powerful account of history and one man’s triumph of the spirit.
Co-published by Nimbus Publishing Limited and the Nova Scotia Museum
ISBN 1-55109-451-7
60 pp, $9.95
Louisa's Diary - out of print
Louisa Collins, edited by Dale McClare, illustrations by Nora Gross, a collaborative project of the NSM and the Cole Harbour Rural Heritage Society
A delightful five-month fragment from the diary of an 18-year-old woman who lived in 1817 in what is now Cole Harbour. Makes a captivating contrast with modern teenage life.
56pp, illus., 1989, $4.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
Micmac Quillwork: Micmac Indian Techniques of Porcupine Quill Decoration 1600-1950
Ruth Holmes Whitehead
The first major work on this art form gives a comprehensive history of the signature Mi'kmaq craft from the period of European contact to the present. It covers materials, construction, ornamentation techniques, and designs used in porcupine quill decoration. 500 black and white photographs and 32 colour plates. An excellent buy.
230pp, illus., colour, 1982, $29.95 (hard cover)
The Mystery of the Lost Anchor
Michael Murray, illustrated by Ivan Murphy
In this sumptuously illustrated children's book, Caitlin, Sean, and Robin visit the Maritime Museum and discover that things are not always as ordinary as they seem. With a little imagination even a rusty old anchor can tell wonderful stories about itself.
48pp., illus. in colour, $12.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication.
A New Mast for the Theresa Connor
The story, in words and pictures, of how a new wooden mast was made and stepped for the Theresa E. Connor, last of the saltbank schooners.
16pp, illus., $.50, a Lunenburg Marine Museum Society publication
Novascotiaman - out of print
Clement W. Crowell
The life of the ship N.B. Lewis, from 1880 to 1893, reflected in correspondence between her captain and her owners.
398pp, illus., 1979, $19.95 (hard cover) Now reduced to $4.99
Old Nova Scotian Quilts
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Scott Robson and Sharon MacDonald
A remarkable book featuring fifty of the best quilts in the Nova Scotia Museum collection, published in colour for the first time. “An outstanding and highly recommended title which will set a high standard for any future Canadian quilt history Book.” Nancy Armstrong in the newsletter of the Canadian Quilt Study Group.
112 pp, colour illus.
A NSM/Nimbus co-publication
ISBN 1-55109-118-6
$19.95
Courtepointes anciennes de la Nouvelle-Écosse
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par Scott Robson et Sharon MacDonald; traduit par Sally Ross
Premier ouvrage portant sur le juet, les Courtepointes anciennes de la Nouvelle-Écosse est un document remarquable qui met en vedette une cinquantaine de courtepointes de la collection du Musée de la Nouvelle-Écosse. Élaboré en même temps qu’une exposition nationale intinérante, ce livre fait voir la beauté et l’originalité de ces couvreslits traditionnels tout en les plaçant dans leur contexte socio-humain. Fruit de nombreuses années de recherche à travers la Nouvelle-Écosse, cet ouvrage apporte une contribution importante à l’historie de la courtepointe au Canada. Une copublication MN-É/Nimbus.
112 p., illustrations en couleurs
ISBN 1-55109-131-3
$19.95
The Romance of the Heating Stove
George MacLaren
Comments on the types of stoves used in homes and public buildings over the years, with illustrations. An appendix lists iron foundries in Nova Scotia.
20pp, illus., 1972, reprinted 1976, $2.00
Silent Steeds: Cycling in Nova Scotia to 1900
Heather Watts
From velocipede riding to round-the-world cycling, Nova Scotians did it all during the great bicycle boom nearly a century ago.
48pp, illus., 1985, $4.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
Six Micmac Stories
retold by Ruth Whitehead, illustrated by Harold McGee
Six Mi'kmaq stories based on tales collected by Silas Rand and others and retold superbly by the Museum's ethnologist, Ruth Whitehead.
56pp, illus., 1989, $5.95, audio-cassette $12.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
Terror on the Coast: The Wreck of the Schooner Codseeker
- out of print
Alan Easton, illustrated by Ivan Murphy,
An extraordinary true-life tale of a shipwreck off the coast of Nova Scotia and its surprising aftermath.
48pp, 1992, $6.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
Thomas McCulloch: His Life and Times
Marjory Whitelaw
48pp, illus., 1985, $4.95, NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series
Founder of the Pictou Academy and first Principal of Dalhousie College, McCulloch's principles of education influenced generations of scholars and professionals. A chronicle of his lifelong battle for liberal education in 19th-century Nova Scotia.
Traditional Nova Scotia Double-Knitting Patterns
- out of print
Janetta Dexter
32pp, illus., 1985, $3.95, a NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series.
Janetta learned double-knitting at her grandmother's knee. Block diagrams, photos, and instructions for 23 traditional patterns, perfect for mitts, hats, and larger projects.
The Wellington Dyke - out of print
Marjory Whitelaw
The Minas Basin was the second region to be settled by Acadians. The story of the construction of the Wellington Dyke is a fascinating account of a massive engineering project. This book details that project and pays tribute to the endless toil of the Acadians, and later the Planters of Cornwallis Township. Completed in 1825, the dyking of this enormous saltmarsh bordering the Canard River reclaimed vast areas of rich farmland from the massive tides of the Bay of Fundy. Marjory Whitelaw is one of Nova Scotia's most accomplished historical writers.
A NSM/Nimbus co-publication, part of the Peeper series. 6" x 8-1/2", 56pp, line drawings, b/w photographs, maps
ISBN 1-55109-232-8
$6.95
Withe Baskets, Traps and Brooms
Joleen Gordon
Making baskets from local materials was a vital skill in many Nova Scotia communities. Many basket weavers, particularly fishermen, liked using witherod.
68pp, illus., 1984, $6.95
Wool at Ross Farm
- out of print
compiled by Kenneth Gilmour
Chiefly pictorial, this booklet illustrates sheep shearing at Ross Farm and the washing, carding, spinning, and dyeing of wool.
28pp, illus., 1977, $1.25