Calgary: The Unknown City. Rev. ed.

Nora D.S. Robins is liaison librarian in the University of Calgary
Library.

Calgary is a city of skyscrapers, light-rail transit, shopping
complexes, numerous parks, the Calgary Stampede, and proximity to some
of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. It is a city whose
economy began in ranching and oil and is now based in agriculture,
energy, tourism, manufacturing, research, and advanced technology. With
a population of over 900,000 people and the second-largest number of
head offices in Canada, it is a modern sophisticated city. There are
lots of histories and guidebooks about Calgary; however, few are as
informative, irreverent, or as much fun as this one.

In 1999, James Martin wrote the bestselling Calgary: Secrets of the
City. Given the growth of Calgary since then, Martin has produced a
revised and expanded edition with, as he proudly states, an additional
46.23 percent of all-new material. He has done an excellent job of
fulfilling his mandate “to infiltrate secret Calgary, to dig up the
unsung, the offbeat, and yes, the unknown.” Here is the essential
Calgary, its secret tunnels, jurassic facts, ghost stories, great eats,
weird museums, mascots—a treasure trove of urban legends at their
finest. The guide is enhanced with hundreds of photographs and a very
serviceable index, and will be of interest to tourists, those planning
to move to Calgary, newcomers, and those of us who live in Calgary, one
of Canada’s most exciting cities.

Martin lived in Calgary from 1977 until 2000 when he moved to Eastern
Canada, temporarily we hope.