Ron Brown has been writing books about ghost towns, railways, and other unusual things in Ontario since 1978, and has written more than 20.

You can buy books listed with a price by clicking a link to Amazon.ca.

'Canada's World Wonders' book cover
Canada's World Wonders
Coming soon
'Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Ontario' book cover
Top 150 Unusual Things to See in Ontario
Newly released and expanded in 2016, this book includes such phenomena as Toronto's Graffiti Alleys, and its "Luminous Veil" on the Bloor Street viaduct as well as the mysterious "Ghost Ship" of Jordan Harbour.
Top 10 non-fiction bestseller
Revised and expanded 5th edition published 2016 by Firefly Books
320 pp with colour illustrations
$29.95 - Buy now from Amazon | Buy now from Indigo
'Backroads of Ontario' book cover
Backroads of Ontario
This book gives travelers the information and maps they need to explore Ontario in a new and creative way. It invites them to exit the noisy busy highways and take a trip through Ontario's countryside and its history: silent ghost towns, charming villages, century-old mills and farmhouses, dramatic cliffs, prime picnic spots, architectural curiosities, an amethyst mine, an underwater graveyard of shipwrecks and so much more.
Top 10 non-fiction bestseller
Expanded and updated 4th edition published 2016 by Firefly Books (originally published 1984)
240 pp with colour illustrations
$29.95 - Buy now from Amazon | Buy now from Indigo
'Rails Over the Mountains' book cover
Rails Over the Mountains
This book leads rail lovers through the spectacular mountains of BC and western Alberta to explore the many bridges and tunnels used to overcome the challenging obstacles faced by Canada's rail builders. The book also explores railway towns, museums, historic roundhouses, and some of Canada's most scenic rail excursions.
To be published 2016 by Dundurn Press
186 pp with B&W illustrations
$29.99 - Buy now from Amazon
'Rails to the Atlantic' book cover
Rails to the Atlantic
Rails to the Atlantic leads the reader and traveller to the often forgotten railway heritage of Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. The reader will visit the many historic stations, ride scenic trains and explore some of Canada's finest railway museums.
Published 2015 by Dundurn Press
144 pp with B&W illustrations
$29.99 - Buy now from Amazon
'5-book bundle' book cover
Railroad 5-Book Bundle
Includes In Search of the Grand Trunk, Rails Across the Prairies, Rails Across Ontario, The Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, and Rails to the Atlantic
Published 2015 by Dundurn Press
1040 pp with B&W illustrations
$39.99 - Buy now from Amazon
'Rails Across Ontario' book cover
Rails Across Ontario
Ontario was once criss-crossed with a spiders' web of rail lines. Most are now gone, but their legacy lingers in the old railway stations, bridges and lesser known features like murals water towers, roundhouses, and coal docks.
Published 2013 by Dundurn Press
182 pp with B&W illustrations
$29.99 - Buy now from Amazon
'Top 115 Unusual Things to See in Ontario' book cover
Top 115 Unusual Things to See in Ontario
Ontario is full of hidden treasure. Down village streets, in city lanes, and along quiet country roads lie its most unusual sights, houses that seem to float, a river that disappears, log cabins in the centre of a major city. All await the curious explorer. Monuments to murders, massacres and mysterious spy camps bring to life the lesser-known aspects of Ontario's hidden heritage.
Published 2012 by Boston Mills Press
248 pp with colour illustrations
$24.95 - Buy now from Amazon
'Rails Across the Prairies' book cover
Rails Across the Prairies
Explore the railway heritage of Canada's prairie provinces
Published 2012 by Dundurn Press
192 pp with B&W illustrations
$29.99 - Buy now from Amazon
'In Search of the Grand Trunk, and Other Ghost Rail Lines in Ontario' book cover
In Search of the Grand Trunk, and Other Ghost Rail Lines in Ontario
In Search of the Grand Trunk looks at the many abandoned rail lines across Ontario and shows hikers, cyclists and recreational drivers the many heritage features along them which recall the once heady days of rail.
Published 2011 by Dundurn Press
256 pp with colour illustrations
$24.99 - Buy now from Amazon
'From Queenston to Kingston: The Hidden Heritage of Lake Ontario's Shoreline' book cover
From Queenston to Kingston: The Hidden Heritage of Lake Ontario's Shoreline
Travel the shoreline of Lake Ontario to discover ghost ports, forgotten coves, old forts and historic lighthouses
Published 2010 by Dundurn Press
224 pp with colour illustrations
$26.99 - Buy now from the author | Buy now from Amazon
'The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore' book cover
The Lake Erie Shore: Ontario's Forgotten South Coast
The Lake Erie shoreline has born witness to some of Ontario's earliest history
Published 2009 by Dundurn Press
192 pp with colour illustrations
$24.99 - Buy now from the author | Buy now from Amazon
'The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore' book cover
The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore
An illustrated history of role of the train station in Canada's history
Updated 3rd edition published 2008 by Dundurn Press; originally published by Broadview Press
185 pp with colour and B&W illustrations
$24.95 - Buy now from the author | Buy now from Amazon
'Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage' book cover
Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage
A photographic visit to Ontario's many ghost town sites
Updated 3rd edition published 2007 by Boston Mills Press
208 pp with colour and B&W illustrations
$24.95 - Buy now from the author | Buy now from Amazon
'Top 100 Unusual Things to See in Ontario' book cover
Top 100 Unusual Things to See in Ontario
This book reveals landscape surprises right in our own backyards
New edition published 2007 by Boston Mills Press
208 pp with 100 colour illustrations
$24.95 - Buy now from Amazon
'Behind Bars' book cover
Behind Bars
Inside Ontario's heritage jails
Published 2006 by Dundurn Press
160 pp with B&W illustrations
$22.95 - Buy now from the author | Buy now from Amazon
'Downtown Ontario' book cover
Downtown Ontario
A look at Ontario's most unusual main streets
Published 2003 by Polar Bear Press
206 pp, illustrated
Out of print; available from author for $15.00 + S&H - Buy now from the author
'The Last Stop: Ontario's Heritage Railway Stations' book cover
The Last Stop: Ontario's Heritage Railway Stations
A guide to Ontario's federally designated heritage railway stations
Published 2002 by Polar Bear Press
192 pp, illustrated
Out of print; available from author for $18.00 + S&H - Buy now from the author
Castles and Kings, Ontario's Mansions and the Men and Women Who Built Them
Published 2001 by Polar Bear Press
Disappearing Ontario
Published 1999 by Polar Bear Press
Ontario's Secret Landscapes
Published 1999 by Boston Mills Press
Ghost Towns of Ontario, Field Guide, Vol 1 and Vol 2
Published 1997/1999 by Polar Bear Press
Toronto's Lost Villages
Published 1997 by Polar Bear Press
Ontario's Vanished Villages
Published 1996 by Polar Bear Press
50 Even More Unusual Things to See in Ontario
Published 1991 by Boston Mills Press
50 Unusual things to See in Ontario
Published 1989 by Boston Mills Press
Ghost Towns of Canada
Published 1988 by Cannonbooks
Ontario Ghost Towns and Scenic Backroads Atlas
Published 1985 by Cannonbooks
Ghost Towns of Ontario, Vol 2
Published 1983 by Cannonbooks
Ghost Towns of Ontario
Published 1979 by Stagecoach Press; later republished as Volume 1 by Cannonbooks
Email: ron.brown8@sympatico.ca