the globe and mail book reviews

The Star Edition Change Location

• Manage Profile
• Subscriptions
• Billing Information
• Saved Articles
• Newsletters
• Notifications
• Today’s Paper

Mark Bourrie, winner of the 2020 Charles Taylor Prize for “Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre Radisson,” now turns his considerable investigative powers to the “fast life and quick death” of George McCullagh.

• Biblioasis / File / Supplied
• Copy article link

George McCullagh in the Globe office just after he bought the paper in 1936.

• City of Toronto Archives
• Entertainment

Gold mining and stock riches, race horses and establishment acceptance, Globe & Mail founder George McCullagh’s ‘fast life and quick death’

A critical assessment of the merits of a subject, such as art, film, music, television, food and literature. Reviews are based on the writer’s informed/expert opinion.

Mark Bourrie’s new book ‘Big Men Fear Me’ gives shape to an era and man almost erased by history

• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Whatsapp

Mark Bourrie, winner of the 2020 Charles Taylor Prize for “Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre Radisson,” now turns his considerable investigative powers to the “fast life and quick death” of George McCullagh. This handsome, ambitious, charismatic newspaper man — founder of the Globe and Mail — has, until now, been almost erased from Toronto history. The facts are these: a “bright kid from London (Ontario) with no education” grew up to mingle with the rich and powerful, attract thousands of listeners to his radio speeches and grace the pages of the world’s press.

His story begins in the dusty rural roads of Ontario, where young George first made his mark selling the Globe newspaper — so successfully that the paper hired, then fired him. (He smoked, drank, loved horses and racing: all habits disdained by his puritanical bosses.) At age 31, wealthy from mining investments — Bourrie’s chapters on Ontario’s gold mining boom are worth the price of the book — and with backing from friend and mining magnate William Wright, George purchased the Globe, then the Mail and Empire: the Globe and Mail was born.

Like a northern Horatio Alger or Jay Gatsby, McCullagh shone in Toronto’s financial, newspaper and sporting circles. He was on the board of Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens, part-owner of the Argonauts football team, owned one of the best racehorse stables in the country and was frequently touted as a future prime minister. Then he was found dead at his estate north of the city, aged 47.

There are many threads to untangle here and Bourrie — journalist, academic, and lawyer — unpicks them all. Spanning the first half of 20th-century Ontario, McCullagh’s life and times become an engrossing tale of ambition, politics and bipolar illness — it’s like little else we’re likely to read this year.

“George McCullagh’s Canada has passed into history — a land where great veins of gold were waiting to be discovered by people willing to trudge through -45 degree weather, where a man without an education could become the most powerful publisher in Canada,” Bourrie writes.

The book features a cast of historical characters that Bourrie often calls “weird”; they include politicians, prospectors and, of course, newspapermen — they were mostly, but not all, men. (One Ontario gold millionaire, Harry Oakes, was mysteriously murdered in the Bahamas.) These near-Shakespearean characters sometimes include George’s friends, sometimes the opposite — especially those who were social progressives.

His interest in newspapers began in his Bay Street days, after he became friendly with Percy Parker, a successful lawyer and fellow gold and oil mining speculator. Parker’s death left an empty seat on the University of Toronto board that Premier Mitch Hepburn awarded George, since Hepburn’s political success had benefited hugely from Parker and McCullagh backing his recent campaign. Not bad for a dropout. George McCullagh, young media darling, seemed destined to achieve the heights of power. But that unfortunate boast in an early interview, “big men fear me,” showed naiveté and hubris, his essential character flaws.

It was a tumultuous life, and Bourrie tells it with wit and humour — “If McCullagh hadn’t had bad luck in politics, he would have had no luck at all.” Under McCullagh’s leadership, his newspapers waged a long and sometimes vicious war of words with the Toronto Star and its owner, “Holy Joe” Atkinson, a strict Protestant who abhorred drinking but championed the rights of women and the poor.

Whereas Atkinson and then prime minister Mackenzie King were fast friends, the gregarious, racecourse-loving McCullagh was an outsider whose politics swerved hard right when American unions inspired Ontario’s underpaid Oshawa autoworkers to strike in 1937. Both he and his backer, Bill Wright, to whom he was much indebted, fiercely opposed unionization.

The word “communism” was flung about. “And the strike fuelled the already tough competition between McCullagh and Atkinson into a hate-fuelled brawl,” destroying “the idea that McCullagh was a man of the people.” When McCullagh next formed the Leadership League, a coalition scheme aimed at eliminating provincial political parties entirely, his grand scheme fizzled.

It was a rambunctious age. In early days, Hemingway was filing stories for the Star, soon to become “Canada’s most successful metropolitan newspaper.” During the Depression, Hepburn, an onion farmer whose Trumpian-style populism kept him in power for years, carried on secret boozing and womanizing in his suite at the King Edward Hotel on King Street, activities unreported by the press.

Capturing the energy and pathos of these decades — two world wars, the Depression, the early postwar years — Bourrie recreates a whole world for readers who don’t remember which daily newspaper landed on their front steps, or which political party was supported in its editorial pages.

So lively is his style that McCullagh’s sudden death in 1951 comes as almost as sad a shock as it did to his friends and contemporaries, who assiduously covered up rumours about mental illness and suicide. A “two-fisted Canadian” (when that was high praise) the epitome of the age’s ideal, a handsome self-made man, who greeted “newsies” (the old men who sold papers on city streets) by their first names, but whose portrait no longer hangs at the paper he created, is brought to nostalgic, vivid life, his portrait restored, flaws and all.

Nancy Wigston is a freelance writer in Toronto.

You Might Be Interested In

• Dec 31, 1969

Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free).

To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.

Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation

More from The Star & partners

Save asset to your list, please log in to use this feature, more entertainment, estate of tupac shakur sends cease-and-desist letter to drake over ai vocals.

• Article was updated 12 mins ago

What to watch this weekend: 'Luxe Listings Toronto,' local drag queen Priyanka in 'We're Here' and more streaming in Canada

• Article was updated 51 mins ago

Is Tim Hortons behind the next great Canadian musical? The coffee chain is stepping into showbiz with a timbit-inspired production with Broadway stars

• Article was updated 46 mins ago

With ‘Alien’ back in theaters, ‘Alien: Romulus’ director teases how the new film connects

• Article was updated 56 mins ago

CBC opts not to renew Andrew Phung comedy 'Run the Burbs' after third season

Top trending, jury acquits umar zameer as judge gives rare apology: 'deepest apologies for what you have been through', sophie gregoire trudeau gets candid about her justin trudeau split, the pain of her eating disorder and her new book: 'nothing is perfect", a toronto condo sat on the market for months — then the seller tried open bidding. it sold in just over a week, rosemary oil is a viral hack for hair growth. does it work, lisi tesher: i used to think the world of my niece. but when i picked her up at the airport recently, she was so drunk that she vomited into a plant. should i tell my brother ask lisi.

Limited time offer.

Sorry , an error occurred.

Account processing issue - the email address may already exist

Sign up with

You're all set!

Thank you .

Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.

Check your email for details.

Invalid password or account does not exist

Sign in with

Reset Password

Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.

Forgot Password

An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.

Email me a log in link

Promotional offers.

No promotional rates found.

Purchase Gift Purchase Access

Secure & Encrypted

Secure transaction. Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.

Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.

A receipt was sent to your email.

An error occurred

Globe and Mail reviews Albatross

Posted August 19, 2019 by Terry Fallis

It’s always nice to make the Globe and Mail! The takeaway line for me in this mini-review:

“This novel has a fable-like quality and philosophical depths that Fallis plumbs with a deceptive subtlety.”

Having seldom been known for being either deceptive or subtle in my writing, I’m very happy with this. It’s still early days, but I’m pleased with how everything is unfolding since the launch of Albatross less than a week ago.

• #comicnovels
• #globeandmail
• #mcclellandstewart
• #mediacoverage
• #terryfallis

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Related Posts

Canada Reads two weeks later…

I promise to write about something other than Canada Reads at some point in the not-too-distant future, but until then, […]

February 26, 2011

• #canadareads
• #canadianpoliticalnovel
• #leacockmedal
• #onebookonecommunitywaterlooregion
• #podcastnovel
• #speakinggigs

Eleven years later…

Yes, I know, I’m a little tardy with my annual end-of-year post counting my blessings over the preceding twelve months. […]

January 8, 2018

• #garybarwin
• #icelandwritersretreat
• #universityoftorontoschoolofcontinuingstudies

IPAC CEO reviews TBLP

The CEO of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) is a good friend of mine. Gabriel Sekaly and […]

November 5, 2007

• #politicalnovels

Chapter 6: February 24, 2007

This week, Chapter 6 including: Daniel, Muriel and Lindsay attend a luncheon speech by Eric Cameron; Lindsay and Daniel bond […]

February 24, 2007

• #tblppodcast

Library blog promotes TBLP

Welcome to My Crystal Blog, a blog associated with the Burlington Public Library was kind enough to recommend TBLP as […]

January 14, 2009

• #canadianpolitics
• #publiclibraries

About the Author

Read Terry's Bio

Terry on Substack

Books by terry.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Literary Magazines

The Big List of Literary Magazines

The Globe Review

February 10, 2024 by Every Writer

 The Globe Review

https://globereview3.wordpress.com/

From the Editor

This literary journal strives to create an accepting and diverse community of writers based on the core values of tolerance and creativity. We aim to empower marginalized and, in any way, oppressed social and ethnic groups and to discover future leaders of the literary world. We believe that everyone has a unique voice and story to tell, and we want to provide a platform for those voices to be heard. Our journal is committed to publishing a wide range of genres and styles, from poetry to prose, from fiction to non-fiction, and from emerging writers to established authors. We also strive to create a supportive environment for our writers, where they can receive constructive feedback and connect with other like-minded individuals. We believe that together, we can create a community that celebrates diversity, fosters creativity, and encourages growth. We welcome submissions from writers of all levels and backgrounds, and we are committed to providing an inclusive and respectful space for everyone. We hope that through our journal, we can inspire the next generation of writers and contribute to a more vibrant and diverse literary landscape. to bring together as many people as possible, regardless of age, gender, or background, who have a passion for writing.

Submissions

Our publication welcomes a variety of creative works, including poetry, flash fiction (up to 1000 words), fiction (up to 10000 words), nonfiction (including personal essays, interviews, and literary criticism), hybrid genres, and visual arts. We believe that art should be accessible to all, and we are committed to showcasing emerging voices as well as established writers and artists. We understand that many writers and artists may have previously published their work, and we are happy to accept both previously published and simultaneous submissions. Upon publication, the author retains all rights to their work. Our goal is to provide a platform for writers and artists to share their unique perspectives and experiences with our readers, and we are grateful for the opportunity to do so.

Information

Editors Name Blanka Pillár Print publication? No Circulation Do you take online submissions? Yes Submission Guidelines URL Approx. Response Time? 3-6 months minimum How often do you publish? Year Founded? 2022 Do you pay? Twitter Mailing Address: Email [email protected] Facebook

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

The Globe and Mail Style Book, Ninth edition: A Guide to Language and... › Customer reviews

Customer reviews.

The Globe and Mail Style Book, Ninth edition: A Guide to Language and Usage

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. please try again later., from canada.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

• Amazon and Our Planet
• Investor Relations
• Press Releases
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Become an Affiliate
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Sell on Amazon Handmade
• Advertise Your Products
• Independently Publish with Us
• Host an Amazon Hub
• Amazon.ca Rewards Mastercard
• Shop with Points
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Amazon Cash
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns Are Easy
• Manage your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Customer Service
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Interest-Based Ads
• Amazon.com.ca ULC | 40 King Street W 47th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5H 3Y2 |1-877-586-3230

49th Shelf: All Canadian Books

Language Arts & Disciplines Style Manuals

The Globe and Mail Style Book, Ninth edition

A Guide to Language and Usage

by (author) J.A. McFarlane & Warren Clements

Paperback / softback

Add it to your shelf.

Book added to list!

Where to buy it

Out of print.

This edition is not currently available in bookstores. Check your local library or search for used copies at Abebooks .

Description

Originally created to help writers and editors at the Globe and Mail present clear, accurate, and concise stories, this comprehensive and entertaining style guide – now in a thoroughly revised new edition – has become a valued reference for anyone who works with words.

About the authors

J.A. McFarlane's profile page

Warren Clements was for many years a member of The Globe and Mail’s editorial board and, for a five-year stretch, editor of the newspaper’s op-ed page. He currently writes weekly columns on DVDs and Word Play for The Globe and Mail. He lives in Toronto.

Warren Clements' profile page

Other titles by

Portfoolio 25

The Year's Best Canadian Editorial Cartoons

by (author) Warren Clements

Portfoolio 24

edited by Warren Clements

Portfoolio 23

• Writing, Research & Publishing Guides

Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime Try Prime and start saving today with fast, free delivery

Amazon Prime includes:

Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.

• Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
• Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
• Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
• A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
• Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
• Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access

Important:  Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.

Buy new: $18.95 $18.95 FREE delivery on orders over $35 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Return this item for free.

Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges

• Go to your orders and start the return
• Select the return method

Buy used: $10.52

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required .

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

Image Unavailable

• To view this video download Flash Player

The Globe and Mail Style Book, Ninth edition: A Guide to Language and Usage Paperback – November 11, 2003

Purchase options and add-ons.

• Print length 504 pages
• Language English
• Publisher McClelland & Stewart
• Publication date November 11, 2003
• Dimensions 6.05 x 1.01 x 8.99 inches
• ISBN-10 0771056850
• ISBN-13 978-0771056857
• See all details

Editorial Reviews

From the inside flap, about the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ McClelland & Stewart; 9th edition (November 11, 2003)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 504 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0771056850
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0771056857
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.05 x 1.01 x 8.99 inches
• #372 in Editing Writing Reference (Books)
• #848 in Research Reference Books
• #1,240 in Words, Language & Grammar Reference

Customer reviews

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

• Sort reviews by Top reviews Most recent Top reviews

Top reviews from the United States

Top reviews from other countries.

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices