In his third book on the adventures of Frank Swannell, historian Jay Sherwood continues his account of one of BC's most famous surveyors. The 1930s was the era of bush planes, packers and riverboats in northern BC. Swannell photographed them and recorded his experiences with some of BC's colourful characters, including Skook Davidson, who worked with Swannell for four seasons. Swannell provides much valuable information about the life of David...
Victoria, BC, July 11th 191. . . . With red eyes and a body guard of sniffing "faithfuls" attending us, we start on our long trip abroad. . . . So begins Emily Carr's memoirs of her trip to England with her sister Alice. They travel across Canada by rail to board an ocean liner in Quebec City, meeting interesting characters and having many adventures along the way. They hike in "gloriously cool and beautiful" Glacier House, and encounter porcu...
Gerry Andrews (1903-2005) had many adventures in his 102 years. He was a rural school teacher, a forester, a soldier and a surveyor. His developments in aerial photography dramatically changed forestry in BC in the late 1930s and assisted the Allies in the D-Day landings. As BC's surveyor-general from 1951 to 1968, he supervised the mapping of the province's large construction projects, often using aerial photography. He referred to the proces...
Frank Swannell contributed greatly to the shape of British Columbia by surveying and mapping large portions of the province over three decades. He also took thousands of photographs and kept detailed journals of his travels. In his second book on Swannell's adventures, Jay Sherwood presents central BC through the eyes and words of one of BC's most famous surveyors. Swannell photographed First Peoples, settlers, various methods of transportatio...
In Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, renowned ethnobotanist Nancy J. Turner describes more than 100 plants traditionally harvested and eaten by coastal aboriginal groups. Each description contains botanical details and a color photograph to help identify the plant, information on where to find it, and a discussion on traditional methods of harvesting and preparation. This popular book remains an essential guide for anyone interested in wil...
Hoofed mammals are the most abundant large mammals in British Columbia. Nine wild native species live here: Elk, Moose, Mule Deer, White-tailed Deer, Caribou, Bison, Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep and Thinhorn Sheep. One introduced species, European Fallow Deer, also lives in small populations on some coastal islands. David Shackleton provides a comprehensive examination of BC's hoofed mammals, discussing their evolution and general biology, inc...
In this collection of illuminating essays, Jack Lohman shares his views on the role of museums in the various cultures of the world, on the importance of architecture and design in the personality of a museum, on the challenges of creating resilient cultural institutions in the face of financial crises, and much more. He speaks from the heart and from his many years of experience in some of the great museums, in London, Rio de Janeiro, Cape To...
In 1899, at age 27, Emily Carr travelled to London to attend art school. She spent almost five years in England, and in this time her life completely changed. She returned to Canada in 1904 a mature woman, eyes widened from living abroad, chastened because of ill health and technically proficient as an artist. Historian Kathryn Bridge takes a fresh look at Emily Carr's time in England. She reveals new evidence that fills in many of the gaps in...
T. Christopher Brayshaw is Curator Emeritus of Botanyat the Royal B.C. Museum and one of the prvince's foremostbotanists. He is the author of several other RBCM books, includingTrees and Shrubs of British Columbia and Plant Collecting for theAmateur.
In Up-Coast, award-winning author Richard A. Rajala offers the first comprehensive history of the forest industry on British Columbia's central and north coast. He integrates social, political, and environmental themes to depict the relationship of coastal people and communities to the forest from the late 19th century to the present. The account begins with the emergence of a small-scale industry tied to the needs of salmon canneries and earl...
Highlighted by brilliant photographs, the colourful stories of British Columbia's history leap off the pages of this beautiful book. BC became a colony in 1858, and this book celebrates its 150 years with a selection of vignettes about objects from our collective past and the people intimately involved with them. This entertaining book captures the essence of British Columbia and the diversity of its people and landscapes. Among the stories ar...
What would you do if you came face to face with a Large Yellow Waxwing, Wild Turkey or Weather Loach? Who would you call if Common Wall Lizards or Giant Hogweed crept into your back yard? Alex Van Tol can help. In Aliens Among Us, she identifies more than 50 species of alien animals and plants that have established themselves in British Columbia. With the help of colour photographs and Mike Deas' illuminating illustrations, Van Tol exposes the...
Historian Peter Corley-Smith chronicles the provincial museum's accomplishments since 1886, when 30 prominent citizens petitioned the government to establish a provincial museum. From its modest roots, the museum has grown to become one of the most renowned in North America. But this is a story about the people with the vision to preserve examples of this province's history for generations to come. It's also the story of the people with the im...
Dr. John Ford presents the latest information on 31 species of marine mammals that live in or visit BC waters: 25 whales, dolphins and porpoises, 5 seals and sea lions, and the sea otter. He describes each species and summarizes its distribution, habitat, social organization, feeding habits, conservation status and much more. Marine Mammals of British Columbia includes maps of sightings, and pointers on where to find each species in BC waters....
Describes 22 species of amphibians and 17 species of reptiles known to live in British Columbia, along with details on their biology, habits, breeding, and distribution. This book also covers several introduced, accidental, and unconfirmed species in the province.
The authors describe 24 species of brittle stars, 8 sea urchins and 2 feather stars inhabiting the coastal waters of BC, the Alaska Panhandle and Puget Sound. All species described live in the shallow waters to a depth of 200 metres, but the authors include species lists of all known species in the region, even those in deeper water. They discuss anatomical features, behaviour, reproduction, feeding, parasites and predators for each group. The...
Wild Flowers is a collection of Emily Carr's delightfully evocative impressions of native flowers and shrubs. She wrote these short pieces later in life and they rekindled in her strong childhood memories and associations. She delights in the brightness of buttercups that "let Spring's secret out", muses over the hardiness of stonecrop ("How any plant can grow on bare rock and be so fleshy leafed and fat is a marvel.") and declares that "botan...