A History of Hangings in Nova Scotia

Deanna Foster

Nonfiction: Nova Scotia History, Crime
180 pages
$17.95
6 x 9 paperback
ISBN 978-1-895900-95-8
(Available September 2007)

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From the original gallows tree at the bottom of George Street in Halifax to jail hangings throughout the province, Nova Scotians were always attracted to a hanging. This book explores many of the Nova Scotian crimes that ended with the noose. Included are the Saladin pirates, one of the bloodiest cases ever brought before a court in Nova Scotia; the hanging of Peter Mailman, who murdered his wife but captivated a reporter; and the trial of William Robinson, who not only murdered his wife but desecrated her body and tried to burn the evidence; and many others.

Almost as soon as Halifax was settled by the British in 1749, it became a violent place to live. To curb this excess, public hangings and floggings were a common occurrence for close to 100 years and people were hanged for crimes that ranged from petty theft to gruesome murders.

Hangings may have been a grisly event, but they managed to captivate large crowds, and are a testament to the prevalent interest in the dark side of history. Issues of deterrence, public opinion, and effectiveness down through the years are explored by the author as she traces the crimes and punishment for murders that prevailed from the very first to the last hanging.

Deanna Foster grew up in Tantallon, Nova Scotia. She completed her BA at Dalhousie University and is now working towards her B.Ed. at Mount St. Vincent University. Although a history class prompted her interest in hangings, she had always had a unique fascination with things deemed morbid or gothic. This is her first book.

Pardon My Frenchy's

By Pat Wilson and Kris Wood (The Frenchy's Ladies)

Nonfiction: The Maritimes, Popular Culture, Humour
160 pages
$16.95
6 x 9 paperback
ISBN 978-1-895900-92-7
(Available September 2007)

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Pardon My Frenchy's is a definitive relationship manual for shoppers who haunt Frenchy's, Value Village, The Sally Ann, and the hundreds of used clothing stores that are part of the Maritime mystique. Unlike a how-to book, Pardon My Frenchy's is a what-to-do compendium of ideas, quizzes, games and stories, all aimed at keeping the Frenchy's fires burning, the used clothing passion alive and the super bargain excitement as high as it was during that first root in the bins.

Pardon My Frenchy's is a dose of good old-fashioned relationship counselling, helping Frenchy's fans rekindle the romance with their favourite stores. It addresses burning questions such as: do you still feel that tingle of anticipation as your eyes sweep across the heaped bins? Does a super-bargain find still make your heart beat faster? And, the ultimate relationship question: do you find yourself casting a roving eye on Walmart or The Bay?

Readers can rely on a wealth of ideas such as Six Bring-Back-the-Thrill Techniques, Ten Surefire Ways to Pull Out all the Stops, Four Ideas to Put You in the Frenchy's Mood, Three Ways to Add Zest to the Experience, Three Tips for Initiating Virgin Frenchy's Shoppers, plus the Ultimate Definitive State-of-the-Art Frenchy's Self Quiz. There's even Frenchy's song lyrics that are perfect for a shopping crawl with the gang.

Pat Wilson and Kris Wood wrote the first Frenchy's book, The Frenchy's Connection - a how-to book on used clothing shopping. They collaborated on Extreme Sports of the Maritimes to highlight the Maritimers' pursuit of fun - at Firehall Bingo, Lobster Suppers and 10 other extreme activities. They are both members of the Ladies Killing Circle, a group of women from across the country who write for mystery anthologies, and are also the co-authors of a Maritime mystery novel, Lucky Strike, set on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotia: Shaped By The Sea -- A Living History (New, Revised Edition)

By Lesley Choyce

Nonfiction: Nova Scotia History
324 pages
$24.95
ISBN 978-1-895900-94-1
(Available September 2007)


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The history of Nova Scotia is an amazing story of a land and people shaped by the waves, the tides, the wind and the wonder of the North Atlantic. Lesley Choyce weaves the legacy of this unique coastal province, piecing together the stories written in the rocks, the wrecks and the record books of human glory and error. In this true-life adventure, he provides a down-to-earth journey through the natural and man-made history that is both refreshing and revealing.

The story begins after the retreat of the glaciers when the first people arrived, and over thousands of years evolved the highly civilized Mi'kmaq culture. The arrival of the Europeans disrupted their life, unleashing tumultuous conflicts that would last centuries. Then came the power struggle between France and England, fought at sea and on land. As England emerged the victor, the Acadians were driven from the land they loved. Once the wars subsided, the pirates and privateers still plundered the seas, but the honest sailors and shipbuilders of Nova Scotia led the province into a flourishing world trade. During the First World War, Nova Scotia was again thrust into military action, resulting in one of the most devastating explosions ever to rip through a city. Decades later, Halifax was torn apart again, this time by military riots.

Here in the new century, it is clear that the way of life along this coast is changing. But while the wealth of the sea has been plundered by human greed, the dreams of life in harmony with the fierce, yet beautiful, North Atlantic live on, even as the restless surge of the waves continues to carve away the coastline.

Penguin Books published the first edition in 1996. Lesley Choyce lives at Lawrencetown Beach and is the author of 65 books including The Coasts of Canada, a history of the country's shorelines. He has edited a companion volume to Nova Scotia: Shaped by the Sea titled Nova Scotia: A Traveller's Companion, 300 Years of Travel Writing (also from Pottersfield Press).

Hunting Halifax: In Search of History, Mystery and Murder

By Steven Edwin Laffoley

Nonfiction: Nova Scotia History, Mystery, Murder
192 pages
$19.95
6 x 9 paperback
ISBN 978-1-895900-93-4
(Available September 2007)

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"I was walking into an air-conditioned Halifax tavern on a hot summer afternoon... in search of a dark mystery... I was on the trail of a cold-case murder - a murder case 150 years cold. Clearly, I needed a beer."

So begins the strange and surprising adventure of Hunting Halifax, the true tale of writer Steven Edwin Laffoley as he investigates the mean streets and narrow alleys of historic Halifax, Nova Scotia, in search of clues to a murder, a mystery and a black hole in history.

In the early hours of September 8, 1853, in the shadow of Citadel Hill, the body of a sailor lies slumped against the staircase of a notorious tavern on Barrack Street. Something - or someone - has crushed his skull. The death is said to be an accident - a fall from a window - until two tavern prostitutes tell a very different story to Nova Scotia's famous son, Joseph Howe. They claim it was wilful murder.

As the investigation of murder and mystery unfolds, Steven discovers the ghosts of the past haunt the present in ways most unexpected. Prepared to do what it takes to find justice for the murdered sailor, he sleeps in old graveyards, drinks in rough taverns, converses in trendy coffee shops, pokes about staid Province House, ponders Victorian Age philosophy, and - somehow - just manages to avoid arrest. Humourous and engaging, Hunting Halifax is an entertaining tale of history, mystery and murder.

Born near Boston, Massachusetts, Steven Edwin Laffoley has worked as a bookstore manager, a curriculum writer, a university professor, a school principal, and a dues-paying member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters delivering beer in south Boston. A compulsive freelance writer, columnist, and broadcaster, Steven has written dozens of articles and essays for online magazines and newspapers, as well as for CBC Radio. His last book was Mr. Bush, Angus and Me: Notes of an American-Canadian in the Age of Unreason. He lives with his wife and daughter in Halifax, Nova Scotia.