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You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on
bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Shipping News
by Annie Proulx
An international bestseller that put Newfoundland on the world stage, this lyrical novel conjures the tough life of a recently divorced journalist struggling to get through the day in a remote fishing town.
Newfoundland & Labrador Map
by ITMB
This double sided map shows Newfoundland on one side (with St. Pierre et Miquelon and an inset of St. John's) with Labrador on the reverse.
The Whale
by Philip Hoare
A deeply engaging meditation on all things whale. Philip Hoare saves his special love and attention for the sperm whale -- not only via a beautiful literary analysis of Moby Dick -- but also by indulging in a childhood fantasy and actually swimming with whales in the Azores.
Vikings, The North Atlantic Saga
by William Fitzhugh (Editor), Elizabeth Ward (Editor)
An extensively illustrated volume of Viking culture, history and exploration that focuses especially on voyages to North America. Published in conjunction with a Smithsonianexhibit, it features essays and 400 color photographs.
The Bird Artist
by Howard Norman
Memorably set in a remote coastal village in 1911, this vivid book is the tale of an odd local man who murdered the lighthouse keeper. It's as much about human character and motivation as it is about Newfoundland.
A Field Guide to North Atlantic Wildlife
by Noble S. Proctor, Patrick J. Lynch (Illustrator)
A comprehensive pocket guide to commonly encountered marine mammals, seabirds and other marine life of Northeastern North America, from North Carolina to Newfoundland and the Canadian Maritimes.
Theatre of Fish: Travels through Newfoundland and Labrador
by John Gimlette
A rollicking account of Gimlette's adventures in Newfoundland and Labrador on the trail of a great-great grandfather. It's a witty tale, soaked in fishy history, myth, lore and incident.
The Colony of Unrequited Dreams
by Wayne Johnston
Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings
by John Haywood
The history of the Vikings told through a series of innovative maps and excellent photographs. This book traces the routes of the 9th-century Viking merchants and explorers throughout Europe and onto the New World.
Transatlantic
by Colum McCann
Colum McCann (Let the Great Wold Spin) traces the derring-do of early aviation, the arc of the lives of the two British airmen, and of four generations of remarkable women in Ireland and America in this stunning novel. Entirely a work of fiction, McCann nonetheless uses real people and real events as a point of departure, with sections on the real British aviators Alcock and Brown and their 1919 flight from Newfoundland to Ireland, Frederick Douglass's emotional Irish journey in 1845 and Senator George Mitchell's efforts on behalf of the 1998 Belfast Agreement. The extended sequence aboard the WW1-era biplane Vickers Vimy through the weather and perils and cold is nothing short of breathtaking. You can see the plane at the London Science Museum.
The Atlantic Coast, A Natural History
by Harry Thurston
Thurston illuminates the geology, plant and animal life and nature of the Atlantic coast from Newfoundland and Labrador through the Maritime Provinces and the Northeastern United States south to Cape Hatteras in this illustrated, engaging survey.
A Traveller's History of Canada
by Robert Bothwell
Bay of Spirits, A Love Story
by Farley Mowat
Not just a love story (it includes the tale of Mowat meeting the woman who would become his wife), this is an unforgettable portrait of the last of the outport people and life aboard a Newfoundland coastal steamer.
The Group of Seven and Tom Thomson
by David P. Silcox
The much-loved painters of The Group of Seven helped define Canadian identity, creating iconic images of early 20th-century Canada. This glorious, lovingly produced book show-cases nearly 400 paintings, including influential landscapes, lesser-known portraits, gardens and city scenes, all organized geographically.
The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 In Gander, Newfoundland
by Jim Defede
When thirty-eight jetliners bound for the United States were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001, due to the closing of United States airspace, the citizens of this small community were called upon to come to the aid of more than six thousand displaced travelers.
Baltimore's Mansion
by Wayne Johnston
A memoir and history of the author's family in remote coastal Newfoundland, including his father's days as a codfish-taster.
Moon Handbook Atlantic Canada
by Mark Morris
A comprehensive guide to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island. With regional maps and detailed descriptions of St. John's and other points of interest, along with an overview of the people, wildlife and history of the region
Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World
by Mark Kurlansky
The Boat Who Wouldn't Float
by Farley Mowat
A laugh-out-loud account of Mowat's determination to refurbish and sail a clunky old boat in the not-always-forgiving waters of Newfoundland.
Island, The Complete Stories
by Alistair MacLeod
Raised in Cape Breton, Alistair MacLeod writes of family, the pull of old Gaelic traditions, love and the landscape and folkways of Nova Scotia in this collection of 16 stories. Winner of the Pen/Malamud Award.
Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises
by Mark Carwardine
In the trademark, graphic Eyewitness style, this sturdy guidebook colorfully describes the world's cetaceans with numerous illustrations, range maps, fluke drawings and a few paragraphs on each species.
The Surgeon's Mate
by Patrick O'Brian
The seventh book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, with American privateers in hot pursuit across Newfoundland's Grand Banks.
