Daniel Francis

Reading the National Narrative

New Book Due This Fall

Jul 12, 2014

My new book, Closing Time, is safely in the hands of the printer and is due to appear from Douglas & McIntyre this fall. Here is the cover.

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It is an illustrated history of prohibition in Canada, from the temperance movements of the nineteenth century to the "bad old days" of rum-runners and blind pigs in the 1920s and 1930s. What with the popularity of Boardwalk Empire and the notoriety of gangsters like Al Capone, many Canadians are unaware that we had our own experiment with prohibition, with just about as little success as the Americans.

The book is beautifully designed by Roberto Dosil, who has won so many design awards he must have a special room in his home to hold them all. Look for it in stores in October.