Beyond The Mountain: True Tales About Montreal [Paperback]

Stuart Nulman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2002

MONTREAL. . . BEYOND THE HISTORY BOOKS

If you think you know everything about Montreal, think again! Can you answer these questions about this fascinating city?

- Which English governess, who inspired a popular Broadway musical and several movies, spent her final years in Montreal and is buried in Mount Royal Cemetery?

- What tragic circumstances in 1919 caused the only undecided Stanley Cup final in history -- between the Montreal Canadiens and the Seattle Metropolitans?

- What presidential assassin spent several weeks in Montreal, as he put together the plot that would lead to the death of the 16th President of the United States?

- What prominent Montreal office building stored most of Britain’s wealth during World War II?

- Who was the first Montreal-based singer -- more than 100 years before Céline Dion -- to become an international superstar?

These are just a few of the intriguing questions answered in BEYOND THE MOUNTAIN: True Tales About Montreal. This book reveals some of the most interesting stories and lesser-known facts about this great city in a "story behind the answer" format, accompanied with rarely seen photos and illustrations.

There is so much more to Montreal than its famous mountain, infamous politics, and labels like "The Stolen Car Capitol of Canada." BEYOND THE MOUNTAIN goes beyond the boundaries of Mount Royal in all directions to show a lesser known, yet a fascinating side of Montreal's history. It informs and entertains a new generation while evoking memories of the city’s past for older generations. But no matter who peruses its pages, BEYOND THE MOUNTAIN is guaranteed to make you exclaim: "Gee, I didn’t know that about Montreal" over and over again!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fascinating journey from Sinatra to smoked meat, bagels to Burton, and the Ritz Café to Rockhead’s Paradise." -- Eramelinda Boquer, Global News (Global TV, Montreal)

"A good primer to Montreal and its history. The stories are so much a fabric of this city." -- The Montreal Gazette

"Nulman injects many little-known facts about Montreal. He covers its colourful underground, famous mayors, sports teams, architecture, and more." -- Hour

"Nulman’s excellent book has all the answers to the questions you didn’t even know, about the city we all love." -- Peter Anthony Holder, Holder Overnight (CJAD 800 AM, Montreal)

"This book is a must-have for Montreal trivia buffs. You’ll be saying ‘I didn't know that’ after every paragraph!" -- Al Gravelle, Al & Era (CJAD 800 AM, Montreal)

About the Author

A lifelong Montrealer, trivia whiz, and a former contestant on the popular quiz show Jeopardy, Stuart Nulman is a book and film expert on Montreal’s CJAD-800 AM radio station. A graduate of Concordia University’s communications and journalism program, Nulman has also worked as a research assistant for CBC-TV’s Newswatch, as a newspaper columnist and literary editor for The Suburban and Weekly Herald newspapers, and as a technical editor for CAE Electronics. Nulman has also helped research several books, including Tommy Schnurmacher’s The Gold Diggers Guide (1985). In 1991, Stuart began his long association with the world-renowned Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival, including researching and developing exhibits for its Museum of Humour.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Callawind Publications (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896511198
• ISBN-13: 978-1896511191
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,820,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finds the soul of the city, January 26, 2003

By 

Steven Paul Leiva (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beyond The Mountain: True Tales About Montreal (Paperback)

Stuart Nulman has written a wonderful book! As someone who loves and has often visited Montreal, it was exciting to learn not of the monuments but of the moments in Montreal history that has given this exciting city it's soul. To learn of Joe Beef alone is worth the price of the book. If you are planning a trip to Montreal I suggest you read "Beyond the Mountain" first. You'll arrive with a sense of the city not even natives usually have. And even if you are not, it's fascinating, not to mention fun, to discover the lives, loves, hates, quirks, and glories of another corner of the world.

2.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing, June 3, 2003

By 

Daniel Bourgeois (Dorval, Quebec) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond The Mountain: True Tales About Montreal (Paperback)

I bought this book hoping to find out new stories about Montreal but would have to agree with the reviewer who said it's mostly recycled and well-known stories. It's a meagre little book with not much in the way of illustrations or photos and each chapter starts with a question, probably meant as a sort of riddle, but then the answer is written right below. I found that irritating.

5.0 out of 5 stars A primer on the hidden secrets of a great city, December 1, 2002

By 

Craig McPherson (Pierrefonds, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond The Mountain: True Tales About Montreal (Paperback)

Most people who've lived their lives in Montreal, or hail from there, may be familiar with certain key points in the city's past. In this book, however, Stuart Nulman takes the reader on a guided tour of both the major, and lesser known aspects of the city's history.

Far from being a dull historical narrative, the author displays a keen eye for providing detail without overloading the reader with extraneous information.

Entries are concise and the book moves along at a brisk pace. It's structure allows the reader to delve into select points in Montreal's history without necessarily having to read an entire chapter.

A great travel companion or for those who wish to buff up on Montreal's history or before engaging in a walking tour.