Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo

For anyone who has ever enjoyed a performance of the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo—whether they have seen it only once or several times—this is a book that stylishly captures in both words and pictures the true spirit of what has become the largest annual indoor show in the world. Author Simon Falconer and Fredericton’s Goose Lane Editions have once again teamed up to produce a book that is sure to be a best-seller.

 

Falconer, author of 2008’s well-received Canada’s Black Watch: An Illustrated History of the Regular Force Battalions 1951-1970, has done an outstanding job in selecting hundreds of the very best pictures from more than 75,000 official photographs taken of Tattoo performances and performers over the years—both backstage and on the Metro Centre floor. The result is a colourful kaleidoscope of international and Canadian military marching bands, dancers, acrobats, jugglers, gymnasts, precision drill teams, musicians, historical vignettes, singers and several other entertainers that have graced the Tattoo since its inception in 1979.

 

The story of the Tattoo’s beginnings is one of many that are told in the book; a show hastily put together for the visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to the first ever International Gathering of the Clans held outside of Scotland—which “almost didn’t happen,” due to several ongoing and last-minute glitches. It was the success of this first Tattoo that led provincial politicians and senior naval officers to press for its continuation as an annual event. And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Falconer tells several other behind-the scenes stories from thirty years of Tattoo performances; anecdotes that will both amuse and amaze. To date, the Tattoo has been seen first-hand by more than a million spectators, a remarkable record of longevity and artistic creativity. This lavishly-illustrated book, which also comes in leather-bound and cased editions, was published to recognize the Tattoo’s thirtieth anniversary. It does so with the same style and flair that has made the Tattoo such a favourite with audiences for so many years. —John Boileau