If you have not yet dropped into Indigo, Paragraph, or Coles (Dorval, Angrignon and Cavendish) or Au Vieux Bouc (two locations in east end) you surely have purchased your copy of the must-own, must-read, must-study and must-memorize book Montreal 375 Tales on Amazon.
It is a must-have for anybody interested in Montreal and is bound to become a collectors item as well to be pulled down and perused with great regularity.
A French book publisher has made an offer to translate it as it's the "best book about Montreal" in their eyes, so a French version is on the horizon.
See the video above with a bit of reference to the book as well as a slew of other stuff getting discussed.
Montreal 375 Tales has earned five stars on Amazon. Here are some reviews:
If you're a Montrealer you must read this wonderful and bizarre book . guaranteed to amuse and educate.you may even read about a piece of history you were part of.only bad thing is it kinda made me homesick for the coolest city in North America. Keep on telling tales Kristian.
This book is terrific. Top-class Montreal lore. Combination of encyclopedic knowledge of local history, street by street & through the centuries, decades & years, plus inexhaustible literary ebullience on every page. Al Palmer reincarnated. Every self-respecting Montrealer should buy a copy.
Fantastic book. Short little stories about The history of Montreal. Perfect for short bus rides or for keeping by the toilet.
This book is a luscious mulligatawny of the proud and profane, the naked and the nearly naked, the weird and wonderful that have made Montreal a city to love and remember. Kudos to Mr. Gravenor for his adroit selection and presentation of this fascinating collection of morsels from Montreal's long and vibrant history. Highly readable and highly recommended.
Media coverage
Concordia News Isaac Olson pre-publication love May 31, 2017
La Presse By the excellent Nicolas Berube In its last-ever paper edition Dec. 30, 2017The Montreal Gazette feature by Andy Riga with gorgeous photo by John Mahoney Jan 9. 2018
Radio Canada Le 15-18 show, en francais, Jan 12, 2018
Westmount Independent pg. 7 complete with unflattering photo Jan 16, 2018
Global TV with Andrea Howick Jan. 17, 2018
The Jewel FM with Ted Bird and Tom Whelan Feb. 8, 2018
CTV Montreal with the legendary Mutsumi Takahashi Feb 9, 2018
CJAD morning show with the well-informed Andrew Carter Feb. 19, 2018
So...... I'm listening to your stuff and then you got to the stack of books..... Jim Bouton's Ball Four was one of the best sports books ever written. I think I may have mailed it to Bill Conrod with some other sports books a few years ago. One of Bouton's funniest stories was about Yankee first baseman and outfielder Joe Pepitone. Apparently he went into the shower and tucked a piece of popcorn under his foreskin. He then came out of the shower, waved his dick around and told his teammates that he thought he might have picked up a social disease.
ReplyDeleteI first discovered Studs Terkel in the 60s. He is a true American treasure and lived to the age of 94. I have most of his books. His books are about ordinary people describing their lives when things were a lot simpler in America. Hopes. dreams, religion. war, politics. I'm a sucker for 20th century American history and literature.
Walk into a Chapter's Book Store and they won't have a clue who Studs was. In Portland, Oregon there is a giant new and used bookstore called Powell's. Its a Portland landmark. A few years ago I bought up every Studs Terkel book I could find there. Also bought several Jean Shepherd books. Jean Shepherd wrote and narrated the classic Darren McGavin Christmas Story movie. At one time he was a regular contributor to Playboy Magazine.
Both Studs and Jean Shepherd had long running radio shows. Studs was on the radio for something like 45 years. A few years ago I got a few e-mails from an old Westmount High classmate who is into ham radios and now lives in New Jersey I believe. He told me that he knew Jean Shepherd quite well and visited him several times at his house. From what I understand Jean Shepherd was fed up at the end of his life of reliving his childhood.
Small world!
I just finished up this book and it was well worth the $25 I plopped down at Chapters. Ok, so I am a little late on the 375 thing. These are really interesting stories, most of while you have likely not heard before, told just as you would expect from Kristian.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kristian it was great!