Explore great books by Canadian authors

49thShelf.com is the largest collection of Canadian books on the Internet—and an amazing way to discover your next great read.

Let us show you how!

join us!

Acclaimed CanLit with Musical Themes read more

Iona Whishaw's Amazing List of "Out of Place" Narratives read more

12 Days of Bookness Means 12 Days of Awesome Book Prizes! read more

5 Cookbooks to Bring the World Into Your Home read more

New Book Giveaways for Members! read more

New Books on Music

The Awesome Music Project Canada

Songs of Hope and Happiness

by Terry Stuart & Robert Carli

"I have given my whole life to writing, recording, and performing music, and I'm STILL fascinated by what it means to people. This is a wonderful rea …

read about it

The Never-Ending Present

The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip

by Michael Barclay

“Barclay combines his admiration of the band with his knowledge of the music industry to make a clever, touching, and very informative book that ma …

read about it

Live at The Cellar

Vancouver’s Iconic Jazz Club and the Canadian Co-operative Jazz Scene in the 1950s and ‘60s

by Marian Jago
foreword by Don Thompson

Live at the Cellar deserves an audience beyond jazz aficionados: in a town that tends to endlessly reinvent the wheel, it tells how the first wheel wa …

read about it

Listen Up!

Recording Music with Bob Dylan, Neil Young, U2, R.E.M., The Tragically Hip, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Waits...

by Mark Howard
with Chris Howard

“This is one of those books readers can’t put down, and Howard has perfectly calculated the effect to linger after the last note has ended. This …

read about it

Contemporary Musical Expressions in Canada

edited by Anna Hoefnagels; Sherry Johnson & Judith Klassen

"A stimulating, brilliantly conceived, and well-executed collection of essays that will have a major impact on Canadian music studies." Robin Elliott, …

read about it

Morning Glory on the Vine

Early Songs and Drawings

by Joni Mitchell

"These drawings and writings, arranged so artfully and carefully, feel like an anchor in an increasingly unsteady world." -- The New Yorker

"A revelat …

read about it

Runaway

by Cordell Barker
adapted by Sarah Howden

Based on Cordell Barker's 2009 NFB film and adapted by Sarah Howden, Runaway is the witty, action-packed tale of a train and a cow on a colli sion cou …

read about it

The Flyer Vault

150 Years of Toronto Concert History

by Daniel Tate & Rob Bowman
foreword by Geddy Lee

Through and through, The Flyer Vault: 150 Years Of Toronto Concert History is a fascinating and informative journey into Toronto’s ongoing cultural …

read about it

Contemporary Musical Expressions in Canada

see all

On the Blog

Reese's Book Club: CanLit Match-Ups

By Kerry Clare

Definitely keep these in mind for your book club and when you're planning your next great read.

Coding Simplified: 7 Books to Help Your Students Learn to Code

By Allison Hall

Twice a month, we invite an educator to share their perspective on essential books for your classroom. To apply to become a contributor, please send us an email!

***

With December comes one of my favour …

Book Cover these ARe not the potatotes of my youth

2019 Poetry Splendour

By The 49thShelf Community

The books that shaped our community's literary year.

A Grateful, Pay-it-Forward Diverse Booklist

By Dorothy Ellen Palmer

Marking International Day of Disabled Persons (December 3) with a recommended reading list by one of CanLit's foremost disability activists, Dorothy Ellen Palmer, whose latest book is the memoir Falli …

The Chat with Governor General's Award Winner Sydney Smith

By Trevor Corkum

Sydney Smith is this year’s Governor General’s Award winner for Young People’s Literature (Illustrated Book) for Small in the City, published by Groundwood Books