AN INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 STEPHEN LEACOCK MEDAL

“In these times of anxiety and social combat over COVID-19, laughter is closer to medicine than merriment, and All Over The Map provides plenty… . While the rants and wisecracks are still there in spades, quite a few of his words on paper are kindly and persuasive, and you feel at home with him. He’s a good writer.” —Winnipeg Free Press

“One thing Ron James has always been is a writer. And the journals he kept along the way helped him write his new book, All Over the Map. The book is full of Ron’s encounters with memorable strangers from the road as well as his childhood growing up in Nova Scotia. And I mentioned his use of language? It is jaw-dropping.” —Tom Power, q, CBC

“Ron James offers a hilarious tour through some of the unfunny realities of life as a Canadian comedian—enough to make a grown-up laugh and cry, cringe and think.” —Linden MacIntyre

“This book is more than just another funny memoir. It’s an eloquent and beautiful tribute to this great country ours and the wonderful people who populate, written by one of Canada’s greatest comedians. Hilarious, poignant and perceptive, the stories will stay with you long after your laughter has subsided. Read slowly. You’ll miss it when it’s gone.” —Mark Critch

“A virtuosic piece of brilliantly spun storytelling. Wonderfully entertaining.” —Ottawa Life Magazine

Praise for Ron James:

“Insightful, clever and witty.” —Toronto Star

“A master comedian with a distinctly Canadian viewpoint.” —St. John’s Telegram

“A high wire act of hilarity.” —Edmonton Journal

“A virtuoso comedic performance.” —The Globe and Mail

“Scarcely time to breath between helpless fits of laughter.” —Chronicle Herald

Born in 1958 in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, and primarily raised in Halifax, RON JAMES moved to Toronto after graduating from Acadia University with a BA in History. Once in Toronto, he joined the Second City.

In 1990, he and his young family moved to Los Angeles after being cast in the syndicated series My Talk Show. After that series was cancelled, he chased the sitcom grail for three years but was mostly unemployed. Upon his return to Toronto in 1993, he chronicled that LA sojourn in his one-man show Up and Down in Shaky Town- One Man’s Journey Through the California Dream. This moved him into stand-up comedy.

After five years spent honing his act in Toronto, Ron was invited to launch the premiere season of CTV’s Comedy Network, when Shaky Town was given its own ninety-minute special. The next several years saw him voted Comedian of the Year at the Canadian Comedy Awards, appear half a dozen times at Just for Laughs, the Halifax and Winnipeg Comedy Festivals, Edinburgh Festival, and star in the television series Blackfly, which ran for two seasons on Global.

After Blackfly ended, Ron embarked on touring. When Montreal’s Just for Laughs commissioned a one-man show, The Road Between My Ears was born and in 2003 became the first of a record-breaking nine one-hour specials on CBC that fast became a New Year’s Eve viewing tradition, annually seen by 1.4 million Canadians. For five years Ron also had a CBC series, The Ron James Show.

Ron is the proud recipient of an honorary Doctorate in the Humanities from Acadia University. He splits his time between Toronto and Nova Scotia.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.