Big Men Fear Me

"The remarkable true story of the rise and fall of one of North America's most influential yet unknown publisher and aspirational politician. When George McCullagh bought The Globe and The Mail and Empire and merged them into the Globe and Mail, today still one of Canada's preeminent daily newspapers, the 31-year-old high school dropout had already made millions on the stock market after the Crash of 1929 and the construction of his glamorous suburban Toronto estate was just the beginning of the meteoric rise of a man widely expected to one day serve as the country's prime minister. But the self-made McCullagh had a dark side. Dogged by the bipolar disorder that destroyed his political ambitions and eventually killed him, the man who would be minister was all but written out of history, erased from the archives of his own newspaper, a loss so significant that journalist Robert Fulford has called McCullagh's biography "one of the great unwritten books in Canadian history"--until now. In Big Men Fear Me, award-winning journalist and historian Mark Bourrie tells the remarkable story of McCullagh's inspirational rise and devastating fall."--

List of contents

Introduction: The Forgotten Man
Chapter 1: The Hustler
Chapter 2: Newsies and Gold
Chapter 3: George McCullagh’s Toronto
Chapter 4: Owning a Premier
Chapter 5: Meeting Mr. Wright
Chapter 6: The Globe and Mail
Chapter 7: Power and Politics
Chapter 8: Sons of Mitches
Chapter 9: The Coup
Chapter 10: Radio Killed the Newspaper Star
Chapter 11: Archworth
Chapter 12: George McCullagh at War
Chapter 13: Wars Within a War
Chapter 14: Sending Zombies to War
Chapter 15: The Great Toronto Newspaper War
Chapter 16: Fighting Holy Joe’s Ghost
Chapter 17: Drew Flames Out
Chapter 18: Dying and Staying Very Dead
Acknowledgements
Notes

About the author

Mark Bourrie is an Ottawa-based author, lawyer, and journalist. He holds a master’s in journalism from Carleton University and a PhD in history from the University of Ottawa. In 2017, he was awarded a Juris Doctor degree and was called to the bar in 2018. He has won numerous awards for his journalism, including a National Magazine Award, and received the RBC Charles Taylor Prize in 2020 for his book Bush Runner: The Adventures of Pierre-Esprit Radisson. His most recent book, Big Men Fear Me: The Fast Life and Quick Death of Canada’s Most Powerful Media Mogul, was nominated for several book awards.

Summary

Nominated for the 2023 Heritage Toronto Book Award • Finalist for the 2023 Ottawa Book Award in English Nonfiction • Longlisted for the 2023 National Business Book Award

The remarkable true story of the rise and fall of one of North America's most influential media moguls.
When George McCullagh bought The Globe and The Mail and Empire and merged them into the Globe and Mail, the charismatic 31-year-old high school dropout had already made millions on the stock market. It was just the beginning of the meteoric rise of a man widely expected to one day be prime minister of Canada. But the charismatic McCullagh had a dark side. Dogged by the bipolar disorder that destroyed his political ambitions and eventually killed him, he was all but written out of history. It was a loss so significant that journalist Robert Fulford has called McCullagh’s biography "one of the great unwritten books in Canadian history"—until now. 
In Big Men Fear Me, award-winning historian Mark Bourrie tells the remarkable story of McCullagh’s inspirational rise and devastating fall, and with it sheds new light on the resurgence of populist politics, challenges to collective action, and attacks on the free press that characterize our own tumultuous era.

Foreword

Marketing plan:

• Print run: 20,000
• Co-op available
• Advance reader copies 
• Anticipated touring and virtual events with select festivals and indies.
• North American TV & radio campaign
• National print media campaign
• Online and social media promotion and giveaways
• Outreach to journalism/media associations, mental health media and organizations

Additional text

Praise for Bush Runner
“Mark Bourrie beautifully describes Radisson as the ‘Forrest Gump of his time’ … well-written … compelling.”
—Washington Times
“A dark adventure story that sweeps the reader through a world filled with surprises. The book is compelling, authoritative, not a little disturbing—and a significant contribution to the history of 17th-century North America.”
—Ken McGoogan, Globe and Mail
“A remarkable biography of an even more remarkable 17th-century individual … Beautifully written and endlessly thought-provoking.”
—Maclean’s
“Highly entertaining reading … fascinating … an engaging achievement.”
—Winnipeg Free Press
“Bourrie’s writing is grounded in a strong sense of place, partly because of his own extensive knowledge of the land and partly because of Radisson’s descriptive storytelling abilities … a valuable and rare glimpse into 17th-century North America.”
—Canadian Geographic

Product details

• Authors: Mark Bourrie
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Release: 18.10.2022, delayed
• EAN: 9781771964937
• ISBN: 978-1-77196-493-7
• No. of pages: 320
• Illustrations: Farb., s/w. Fotos, Abb.
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > Journalism; LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Journalism, HISTORY / Canada / Post-Confederation (1867-), POLITICAL SCIENCE / World / Canadian