Ebooks

Ebooks

Putin’s Death Grip

by Maclean’s, Michael Petrou
Vladimir Putin has been promising glory to Russia for a dozen years. For a long time, the country bought it. Now the increasingly defiant strongman finds himself battling a restive nation. Maclean’s Michael Petrou travelled through Russia talking to senior officials, political opponents and angry workers, and found the leader’s death grip on power may be fuelling the next revolution.
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The Senate Scandals

by Maclean’s
Four senators—the Liberal Mac Harb and a trio that Stephen Harper appointed, Patrick Brazeau, Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy—have brought more discredit on the Senate than five generations of critics could manage from without. Maclean’s on the Senate Scandals brings together for the first time exclusive stories and columns from veteran Ottawa analysts John Geddes, Paul Wells and Aaron Wherry to our finest satirist, Scott Feschuk. As well, senior reporters Anne Kingston and Jonathon Gatehouse have written definitive portraits of Pamela Wallin and Mike Duffy, documenting exactly how it is that two such highly regarded public figures have become symbols of all that’s wrong with the Senate and with Ottawa.
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Rob Ford

by Maclean’s, Nicholas Köhler, Emma Teitel, Ivor Tossell, Paul Wells
In less than three years Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto, has gone from catapulting political star, Canada’s most improbable mayor, to a disaster without bottom, a man whose implosion is unfolding before us in slow-motion.
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Maclean’s Book of Lists: Volume 2

by Maclean’s
Just in time for summer, Canada’s national magazine presents the second volume of its wildly popular Maclean’s Book of Lists. Packed with 30 per cent more lists and rankings than last year’s, find out what famous foreigners like Napoleon and Charles Dickens really thought of Canada, which NHL players grow the best playoff beards, where Canadians have the best sex, and why Franklin D. Roosevelt was digging for buried treasure in Nova Scotia. Maclean’s also asked famous Canadians for their own lists, like comedian Rick Mercer on the 6 steps to a good rant, while Don Cherry shares his advice to men on dressing well.
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50 Mind-blowing Discoveries That Will Change The World

by Kate Lunau, Carolyn Abraham, Nicholas Köhler, Tamsin McMahon, Rosemary Westwood & Rosemary Counter

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#GoodMorningEarth: Chris Hadfield

by Kate Lunau
#GoodMorningEarth: Chris Hadfield brings together for the first time exclusive stories and photos from Maclean’s reporter Kate Lunau, who’s been on the story since getting exclusive access to watch Hadfield train to become the commander of the International Space Station. The book also features “The Twitter Diary: A giant tweet for mankind,” a selection of Hadfield’s tweets that gives readers a front-row seat on what his life is like inside the ISS, as well as dozens of his best landscape photos of Earth, curated from Facebook and Twitter. The astronaut shares his wry sense of humour during highlights from sessions on Reddit’s “Ask Me Anything” and Twitter, where he answered questions on everything from fear to recycled urine to whether he could hear Don Cherry from space. Join Hadfield in the Space Station and discover what his 700,000 Twitter followers already know: it’s quite a ride.
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Maclean’s on Justin Trudeau
The New Liberal Leader: A Life Lived in the Spotlight

by Maclean’s, Colby Cosh, Scott Feschuk, Jonathon Gatehouse, John Geddes, Nicholas Köhler, Ken MacQueen, Peter C. Newman, Martin Patriquin, Paul Wells, Aaron Wherry

New Liberal party Leader Justin Trudeau has never known a life that wasn’t a public one. His birth on Dec. 25, 1971, to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and his wife, Margaret, was front-page news. He grew up with a nation discussing the breakup of his parents’ marriage, watching him and his brothers at play and on the campaign trail. Years later, Canadians grieved along with him when brother Michel and, later, Pierre died. Throughout the years, Maclean’s finest reporters—Peter C. Newman, Paul Wells, John Geddes, Jonathon Gatehouse, Scott Feschuk, Aaron Wherry, Colby Cosh, to name only a few—have watched Justin Trudeau, too, from analyzing his eulogy at his father’s funeral to reporting on his leadership bid. Those stories are collected here for the first time, along with photo essays—a vivid evocation of a life and time, one lived largely under the watchful eyes of millions.
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Maclean’s Portraits

by Maclean’s, Barbara Amiel, Joseph Boyden, Rosemary Counter & Jacob Richler
For more than 100 years, Maclean’s has been reporting from the world’s hotspots, interpreting and commenting on history in words and images. Now, for the first time, we present almost 100 captivating portraits from our extensive archives in Maclean’s Portraits. This iBook includes galleries and video interviews with the photographers, who explain how they got the shot of personalities such as Justin Bieber, Anne Murray, Stephen Harper and Gordon Lightfoot, as well as original stories about the subjects. From Yousuf Karsh to Peter Bregg to Christopher Wahl to George Pimentel, the riveting pictures of Canadians big and small, as well as international luminaries from the worlds of science, film, sports and politics, tell their own stories. As Karsh once said: “Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer it is my task to reveal it if I can.”
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Canada’s Most Notorious Crimes

by Maclean’s
Crime sells, as the saying goes, and that’s why you’ll find it everywhere in bookstores and movie theatres, and on television. But true crime compels the stories at their most complex forcing us to examine human behaviour, justice and even the very nature of good and evil. Canada’s Most Notorious Crimes focuses on some of the most intriguing and disturbing stories in our country’s history. From the Black Donnellys and Evelyn Dick to Paul Bernardo and the Shafia trial, this compilation explores Canada’s true-crime catalogue from pre-Confederation to the present day, with files and photographs from Maclean¹s magazine¹s unparalleled 107-year archive.
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Who Was Canada’s Best Prime Minister?

by Richard Gwyn and Allan Levine
Sir John A. Macdonald and William Lyon Mackenzie King—30 years separated their terms as prime minister, but the argument over which was Canada’s greatest leader continues to this day. Was it Macdonald, whose vision and single-mindedness gave birth to the nation, but whose weakness for alcohol and bribe-taking taint his image to this day? Or was it King, the man who would hold together the nation through war, but who is often remembered for communing with spirits and prostitutes?

In search of an answer, Maclean’s invited historian Allan Levine, author of King: A Life Guided by the Hand of Destiny, and journalist Richard Gwyn, who penned a biography of Macdonald, Nation Maker, to debate which man deserves the title of Canada’s greatest prime minister. The two historians sparred over each man’s legacy, delving into their respective victories, faults and the intangible qualities needed to be considered a great leader.
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Doomed: The Untold Story Behind the Collapse of the Elliot Lake Mall

by Michael Friscolanti
Last summer, Canadians held their collective breath as rescuers dug through the rubble of the Elliot Lake mall for two women trapped beneath the collapsed roof. Their bodies would be pulled from the concrete five days later. What happened at the Algo Centre is about to be dissected at a public inquiry set to begin March 4, but a new ebook by Maclean’s Senior Writer Michael Friscolanti reveals the disturbing backstory of a building that was literally doomed before it even existed. Drawing from court documents, property records, inspection reports and dozens of interviews with the people who lived it, Doomed: The Untold Story Behind the Collapse of the Elliot Lake Mall, tells the shocking story of a star-crossed structure plagued by dreadful timing, dubious decisions and a collective case of wilful blindness. This is the story of one mall in one small town—but it is a tale that every Canadian should care about. The disaster that struck Elliot Lake could happen anywhere else, at any moment.
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Newtown: Tragedy and its aftermath

by Maclean’s
In the aftermath of the horrific school shooting that killed 26 people, including 20 children, the citizens of Newtown, Conn., struggle to cope. Away from the media circus of Sandy Hook Elementary School and the political drama playing out around them, some children have refused to go to school outright; others still have wondered out loud how they can survive if they get shot in the chest next time they leave the house. In this ebook exclusive, Martin Patriquin reports from the kitchens and living rooms of Newtown, a place that will never again be the same and where life goes painfully on.
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Obama

by Maclean’s
In just a few short years, Barack Obama went from being a young, little-known Illinois senator with an unusual name to the presidency of the United States. Maclean’s on Barack Obama chronicles his meteoric rise, from campaign dispatches during his struggle for the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton—a battle in which America’s fault lines of gender, race and class took centre stage—to his historic fight for the presidency in 2008. Maclean’s follows America’s first black president as his message of hope is challenged, through highs—passing the health care reform bill, and hunting down America’s most wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden—to bitter lows, including his tense standoff with hard-right Republicans, chronic unemployment, and even his testy relations with Canada. Once again, Maclean’s is there as Obama fights the battle of his political life—for a second term in office, in an election that will set the direction of the U.S. for years to come.
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Trudeau

by Maclean’s
A look back at the fascinating political career of Pierre Trudeau, culled from the rich archives of Maclean’s magazine, by storied writers like Peter C. Newman, Hugh MacLennan, Peter Gzowski, June Callwood. As his son Justin Trudeau heads into his own run for Liberal leader, it’s instructive to look at the legacy of his father and the rich material here provided by generations of Maclean’s writers.
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The End

by Maclean’s
Surprising, elegantly drawn, charming and funny, Maclean’s obituaries have earned a huge following over the years. The End moves beyond the famous personalities whose deaths make news, instead choosing to celebrate the quiet lives of Canadians across the country. There is the story of twin brothers Paul and Morris Longmire, who bought side-by-side houses in rural Nova Scotia and died at age 77 as they had lived, together. This collection of the best of the year includes writing from some of our finest writers. Their pieces tell the stories of an eclectic mix of men and women from coast to coast, and in so doing, paint a vivid and affectionate portrait of Canadian life.
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Feschuk on the Holidays

by Scott Feschuk
How exactly does Santa know when you’re sleeping? Who was that clattering on the roof in ’Twas the Night Before Thursday? And what’s with the brightness of these stars? A bit garish if you ask me. Our inimitable columnist Scott Feschuk on the songs, the rituals, the secrets and scandals of the Retail Festival Formerly Known as Christmas.
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Scientology’s Plan for Canada

by Nicholas Köhler
It’s under fire in Hollywood. In France it’s been convicted of fraud. Germany is considering banning the religion, and everywhere, its numbers appear to be declining. Still, the Church of Scientology prospers, in Canada and beyond. It enjoys tax benefits in many provinces thanks to its designation as a “religious organization.” And scandals haven’t stopped Scientology from a massive real estate expansion, with investments in new, state-of-the art churches.

Senior writer Nicholas Köhler takes us into the strange world of Scientology, the church-affiliated drug rehab centre Narconon, and Scientology’s mysterious Sea Organization, a “religious order” whose adherents sign billion-year contracts. Köhler draws on hours of interviews with Scientology apostates—including the articulate former logger from Chilliwack, B.C. whom Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard once named his personal archivist and who today remains one of Scientology’s fiercest opponents. In doing so he paints a vivid and troubling portrait of what is surely the world’s most inscrutable and bizarre religion.
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In Conversation with Ken Whyte

The Maclean’s Interviews

Volume 2 · Artists and Thinkers
by Kenneth Whyte

Kenneth Whyte was the editor of Saturday Night magazine and the founding editor of the National Post newspaper before he arrived at Maclean’s magazine in 2005, both as editor and publisher. He promptly redesigned and revitalized the national current affairs weekly. But instead of writing each week’s editorial, Whyte took the reins of the “Interview,” an in-depth conversation with a prominent personality, which appeared in the opening section of each week’s magazine. In this collection, Volume 2, we feature some of his interviews with artists and thinkers; from Woody Allen to Kim Cattrall; Margaret Atwood to Christopher Buckley.
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In conversation with Kenneth Whyte

The Maclean’s Interviews

Volume 1 · Politics and Power

by Maclean’s
Now President of Rogers Publishing, Kenneth Whyte Was the editor of Saturday Night magazine and the founding editor of the National Post newspaper before he arrived at Maclean’s magazine in 2005, as both editor and publisher. Instead of writing each week’s editorial, Whyte took the reins of the “interview,” an in-depth conversation with a prominent personality, which appeared in the opening section of each week’s magazine. Herein lies his interviews with the following:
Warren Buffett, Stephen Harper, Tina Brown, Bill Gates, Cathie Black, Robert Shiller, Conrad Black, Julie Couillard, Peter Munk, Michael Ignatieff, Naomi Klein, Tyler Cowen, Ed Broadbent, Paul Kennedy, Stéphane Dion, Margaret MacMillan
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Maclean’s on Jack Layton

by Maclean’s
On the one-year anniversary of Jack Layton’s death, Maclean’s presents a new ebook featuring our best stories covering the former NDP leader’s remarkable decade on the Hill. This collection of in-depth profiles and short features delivers a portrait of the man. There’s also a behind-the-scene’s look at the crafting of Layton’s last letter to Canadians, and the influence it had on the nation. Olivia Chow also shares her thoughts on what inspired her late husband. Available now wherever ebooks are sold.
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Death on Everest

by Jonathon Gatehouse
Shriya Shah-Klorfine dreamed of climbing the world’s tallest mountain. On May 19, the 33-year-old made a final push for the very tip of Mount Everest and a final photo shows her standing on the hard-packed snow of the summit. But she would never return. In this 5,400-word investigation, which appeared in the July 9, 2012, issue of Maclean’s, national correspondent Jonathon Gatehouse describes Shriya’s last hours on the mountain and the obsession that drove her there.
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Maclean’s on the Queen

by Maclean’s
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been on the throne for 60 years but Maclean’s has been fascinated with her since long before she wore the crown. Our latest e-book, on the occasion of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, compiles the best of our royal coverage over the last seven decades from some of Canada’s most famous writers and photographers. Berton wrote a seven-part series in 1953, the year after George VI died and Elizabeth became Queen. (One of those articles, “How the princess was taught to rule,” is included in this collection; the others will be released in a special ebook, Pierre Berton on the Queen). Photographer Yousuf Karsh gave an account of his 1951 trip to Clarence House to shoot the young family. And more recently, Andrew Coyne explained why Canada needs the monarchy—even if it’s Charles and Camilla.

It was no easy task compiling this collection, which you can purchase here. Fourteen of the 23 stories only exist in bound copies. And our seemingly endless poring over them, and the resulting wear and tear, sent Maclean’s resident archivist, and author behind our Royal Quarters blog, Patricia Treble into a sweat. We sat down with her to find out how she got the originals back in their locked cabinets and why she’ll always be a steadfast monarchist.
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Read: Q&A with Patricia Treble, Maclean’s Royal Quarters blogger, on putting the book together | PDF

Pierre Berton on the Young Queen Elizabeth II

by Pierre Berton
In 1953, a year after Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne, Maclean’s ran a seven-part series-marking her official coronation-by acclaimed author and historian Pierre Berton, entitled “The family in the palace.” It’s an intimate portrait of the private and public princess turned Queen, written almost as if he himself were a lady in waiting: “She does not pluck her eyebrows or wear bright varnish on her nails. She would rather foxtrot than rhumba. She knows her Kipling but has no affinity for Gertrude Stein.” Berton also imparts a deeper understanding of the Queen by profiling her forebears, the Hanovers and Coburgs. And he concludes the series with a look at her husband, duke of Edinburgh, “the strong-willed man who will leave his stamp on the monarchy of the future.” All seven of these articles, as well as an extra on “The strange rites of royalty” are included is this special Maclean’s ebook.
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The Harper Decade – inside the Fight to Remake Canada

by Paul Wells
It was ten years ago that Stephen Harper took control of the Canadian Alliance Party. Since then, he’s united the Conservative party, won its leadership, fought four general elections and changed the political landscape of the country. Maclean’s political editor Paul Wells has been following him the whole way, and offers his thoughtful perspective on those events, and more in The Harper Decade, a new Maclean’s ebook.
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Read: Q&A with Paul Wells | CBC Interview with Paul Wells | PDF

Dan Hill tells all

by Dan Hill
Five months ago, Dan Hill—award-winning singer, songwriter and author—was backstage, 30 minutes away from performing a concert, when he got a call on his cellphone. “Dan, you have cancer,” said his doctor. “Prostate cancer.” He went on stage and spent the next two hours singing as though he might never sing again. Or so he was told. “It was almost like going into a black hole. I don’t remember anything.” In the April 16 issue of Maclean’s magazine and reproduced in this e-book special, Hill has written a candid and moving account of what it’s really like to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
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Barbara Amiel on dogs

by Barbara Amiel
Barbara Amiel’s look at the cutthroat world of purebred dogs in our April 2 issue (“Chasing perfection,” Society) received an overwhelming response. This week, we followed up with a special iPad extra, reproducing the story with additional photos and featuring an exclusive video interview with Amiel at her Toronto home—her first one-on-one, on-camera interview in years. Amiel talks about her motivation for writing the article and her passion for dogs, including her two loyal Hungarian kuvasz.
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THE SHAFIA HONOUR KILLING TRIAL

by Michael Friscolanti
The full story of a crime that shocked the nation
PLUS: Evidence photos, interrogation videos and more
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Read: The Shafia honour killing trial–Chapter 1 | The Shafia honour killing trial—Chapter 2 | PDF