The Toronto Story

Mike Filey, a Toronto historian, is author of Like No Other in the
World: A History of Toronto’s Skydome and co-author of Pantages
Theatre: Rebirth of a Landmark.

In the past few years, the number of published works on the myriad
components of Toronto’s fascinating history has skyrocketed. There
have been scholarly and learned works, simplistic photographic
collections, and guide books. Now young adults have their own book on
the subject. Mackay traces the story of Toronto from prehistoric times
through the arrival of explorer Etienne Brыlé, Governor and Mrs.
Simcoe, 1837 and the frenzy of Mackenzie, the reign of the merchant
princes Simpson and Eaton, and on to the present, with a brief but
intelligent look into the city’s future. The talented Johnny Wales
provides bird’s-eye views of the Church/Wellington/Front intersection
over a period of nearly five centuries; alone these are worth the price
of the book. A section called “Timeline” is particularly helpful in
putting Toronto happenings into perspective vis-а-vis world events. The
comprehensive index is an invaluable aid in finding specific incidents
in Toronto’s past.