Toronto Remembered: A Celebration of the City

Dean Tudor is a journalism professor at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute and founding editor of the CBRA.

Most of this eclectic anthology is Bill Kilbourn celebrating The Toronto Life for Sesquicentennial Year (the book was published with the assistance of a grant). Some of the material comes from his previous writings, such as excerpts from The Firebrand (his story of W.L. Mackenzie); some of his thoughts were especially written for this book, while still others were edited by Kilbourn (and these come mostly from others’ diaries). The remainder of the book has diverse essays from Michael Bliss, Pierre Berton, Marq de Villiers, Ron Haggart, James Lorimer, Jack Ludwig, Gwendolyn MacEwen, and Maggie Siggins, on many different themes (some essays are new to print). There are also 17 poems, quite a few short quotations, illustrations, photographs, and maps. This is an effective book, with special meaning to Torontonians; a good bedside read.