Marking the 225th anniversary of loyalist landings in Canada, this important and comprehensive history is essential reading on the shaping of our country.

The few hundred loyalists who gathered at Roubalet’s Tavern in New York on the night of Saturday, November 16, 1782, shared a vision of the future intended to sustain them through the nightmare of the present. Abandoned by the king to whom they had promised their loyalty, unwelcome in the land that had so recently been theirs, they had no choice but to flee. But to where? And for what?

Their dream was to build a new and improved New York City. They would do this on the rocky shores of Roseway Bay, on the south coast of Nova Scotia, beside one of the best harbours in the world. The city would be cosmopolitan, but more refined, more royal, more loyal, and certainly more exclusive than the one they were now preparing to leave behind forever. At first, it seemed as if their dream would come true. Within the decade, however, Shelburne was a wasteland of abandoned homes and shops.

What happened? Plagued by drought, fires, and poor land quality, Shelburne’s fortunes quickly fell. Vividly told through the intertwined narratives of an eclectic collection of its early settlers, Loyalists and Layabouts is the fascinating story of Shelburne’s “rapid rise and faster fall.”

"Always entertaining and informative, Halifax journalist-extraordinaire Stephen Kimber marks the 225th anniversary of the Loyalist landings in Canada with a colourful account of the decades-long hopes, dream and decline of those who chose to settle on Nova Scotia's south shore. Told through several narrative voices of early settlers, Loyalists and Layabouts is a fascinating perspective on all that went wrong and right at one of the world's foremost harbours near Roseway Bay."
-Halifax Magazine

"Kimber draws us through an engaging- and sometimes very painful- non-fiction accounting of the awkward birth and sad decline of a town which never filled the great, optimistic promise held for it two hundred and twenty five years ago...his ease and familiarity is obvious and his genuine interest in the lives of his subjects shines through"
-Shelburne County Today

“What a splendid tale of our Loyalist and our layabout ancestors, summed up in the tragicomic settlement of Shelburne… Kimber's eye for diverse and fascinating characters is an overdue reminder of the price white Loyalists paid for the choice to remain impoverished but faithful subjects of George III. Black slaves paid an even higher price, gaining freedom at the cost of justice, equality or respect. No one who reads this book can ever again be comfortable with ancestral stereotypes.”
-Desmond Morton, Hiram Mills Professor of History (Emeritus) McGill University (and descendant of Captain Nathaniel Frink who arrived at Saint John from New York in 1784 as aide de camp to Major-General Benedict Arnold)

"This book is a must read for anyone wanting to better understand the forces that shaped our country, Canada and our neighbour to the south, the United States of America, and as well, Great Britain."
-Logan W. Bjarnason, President, Regina Branch United Empire Loyalists Association

“Prodigious research, a dash of imagination and an engaging literary style make Loyalists and Layabouts an interesting and informative romp through the American Revolution and Shelburne's first decade. Extensive use of diaries, letters and first-person accounts allows Stephen Kimber to present his narrative from the perspective of the historical actors themselves. Visitors to Shelburne and townsfolk alike will be enchanted with this vigorous tale of the city's hopeful rise and precipitous decline. The book is a delightful and satisfying read and a serious contribution to Loyalist studies, with appropriate attention to the formerly enslaved Black Loyalists who built much of Shelburne's initial infrastructure.”
-James W. St.G. Walker, University of Waterloo, author of The Black Loyalists:The Search for a Promised Land in Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone

"If you want a book that evokes an era of Canada's past that is dramatic but little known, this is an enjoyable entry into a fascinating world."
-GuelphMercury.com