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Cowboys and Dog Tales by Tim O'Byrne
The autobiography of an Albertan cowboy. His adventures are vividly depicted in the comical sense of humour natural to him. ... Read more

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The "redinking" of British Columbia History
Of all the individuals that have served in the premeirship of British Columbia, it is Dufferin Pattullo that Fisher feels was the most significant. He places hime above the likes of WAC Bennett, John Oliver and Richard McBride. The book is a chronological account of Pattullo's life, starting with his early childhood, moving through to his time spent in the Yukon. Next, the entering of politics and Pattullo's appointment as the Minister of Lands where he helped to implement the South Okanagan Lands Project. The book continues with Pattullo's time as leader of the BC Liberal Party and beyond.

In writing the book Fisher states that he set out to prove that the medium of the Biography could still be used in historical writing as a successful means of conveying the history of a region. As Fisher points out, Biography had once been the grand tradition of Canadian historical writing (see Creighton's biography of John A. MacDonald), but with the shift to a more "social" history in the 1960 s and early 1970s Biography fell out of fashion. This is because the emphasis that a biography placed on the individual, who was usually tended to be male, white and a politician, was not seen as representative of the larger society. The result was a shift to some of the more marginal aspects of society that had been ignored in past historical works. This is a trend that Fisher has argued against elsewhere (see the 100th issue of BC Studies). Pattullo is therefore meant to show that biography is still a useful method that can be used to highlight a regional history. To quote Fisher; "for this historian, the individual matters as much as the group. And some people are more important than others." (p. X).

A final note about "Pattullo", in that Duff Pattullo came to view the Canadian federation differenty than most of his counterparts is indicative of the trend in BC historiography at the time. It is my understanding that in presenting his views to the Rowell-Sirios Commission Pattullo was very much influenced by the work of UBC historian Walter Sage. Sage was attempting to apply the concept of Turner's frontier thesis to Canada at this time and had come to see the country as possessed of five distinct regions. With each region having more in common with its neighbours to the south than with the other regions of Canada. Which, of course, ran completely contrary to the centralist bias that was prevelant at the time (again, see the work of Creighton). ... Read more

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This autobiography is about William K. Fortman, his father and family, during World War II. ... Read more

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George Manuel was a prominent leader of Canada's modern Indianmovement and an internationally acclaimed spokesperson for nativerights. His story is not just of one individual but of the rise ofnative power and consciousness in Canada and throughout the world. ... Read more

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From 1939 to 1954, Malcolm Lowry lived and wrote in a shack near Dollarton, in North Vancouver. It was here that he revised and polished Under the Volcano until it was almost ready for publication, and here that he experienced his happiest and most productive years. His posthumously published works are filled with references to the landscape and lifestyle he enjoyed while living in BC. Now, for the first time, these Vancouver years are the focus of a Lowry study. The words and letters of AI Purdy, Earle Birney, George Robertson, and many others shed light on the great novelists's method of working, his view of the world and the fascinating, paradoxical character that was Malcolm Lowry. Extensively illustrated with photographs of people and places Lowry knew, Malcolm Lowry: Vancouver Days includes maps and a selected bibliography. ... Read more

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From trips to the general store to battles with bedbugs and falling cows, FIVE PENNIES brings to life the experiences of a boy growing up in the early West.

Filled with details about pioneer life, each story gives insight into the difficulties, challenges, and joys faced by families building a home on a rugged, new land. Young Archie's observations offer a different perspective on that life, one tinged by a child's wonder and sense of adventure.

These heartwarming stories about Christmas pageants, starting school, summer jobs, and the exciting potential of owning five pennies were told to author Irene Morck by her father. She has captured the spirit and humour of his memories and brought them together in this entertaining collection. ... Read more

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Struggles and Joys of a Pioneer family
Read it at once like a novel or in chapters like a series of vignettes, this delightful book features difficulties facing a farm family, and rejoices at their victories and grieves over their sorrows and defeats. Enjoy the mischievous pranks of a bunch of farm kids who invented ways to make their hard work more fun, and how their jokes sometimes turned into expensive lessons when things went awry. The intense desire for education that drove these farm boys to make enormous sacrifices in order to have an opportunity to achieve their goals is inspiring. This is a great book for young folks who are wrestling with lifes tough questions, and how faith, persistance and determination can lead to fulfilment of dreams. ... Read more

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When Clayton Mack was a child, his parents wrapped him in wolf skin and dumped him in water four times so he would grow up strong and fierce in the woods like a wolf. True to this Nuxalk tradition, Mack grew up to be a world-famous grizzly bear hunter and guide.Clayton Mack's first book of amazing tales about bears and q'umsciwas (white men), Grizzlies and White Guys, became an instant best seller when it was published in 1993. In Bella Coola Man, Clayton Mack continues his hair-raising stories about pulling bears out of the bushes by their legs, eating fresh bear meat with Thor Heyerdahl, finding gold nuggets in the bush, murder in the Big Ootsa country and dead men's talking beans, plus Crooked Jaw the Indian agent and where to find good fishing. Clayton Mack was a walking encyclopedia of tribal lore, and one of the best storytellers ever born. The stories in Bella Coola Man are the last he told, and reflect his desire to pass on as much information about Nuxalk life and legends as he could before his death. Hear about the man-eater dance performed at River's Inlet where the dancers ate a dead woman's head, or about the last Indian war on the coast, native remedies like devil's club tea which is "good for anything," Alexander Mackenzie's travels through Bella Coola country along the Grease Trail, how native hunters killed mountain goats by prying them off cliffs with sticks, and about forgotten villages and places, which come alive again through Clayton Mack's words.Clayton Mack had a deep understanding and appreciation of life on British Columbia's rugged coast. His stories are unique lessons in history, as well as pure entertainment. Here are the stories of the legend himself, Clayton Mack. ... Read more