British Columbia In Books

A one-stop resource for hiking backpackers in beautiful British Columbia. Planning your next backpacking adventure? This book covers all the essentials including: 40 overnight hiking trails: discover the many different routes that BC has to offer Packing tips: take only the most essential items with you (plus a few comforts) Permitting: find out what permits you’ll need, and where to get them Camp set-up: tips for where to pitch your tent and how to find water Environmental impact: learn how to Leave No Trace behind in the wilderness This book features backpacking routes from the North Shore up to Pemberton and Lytton and from the Sunshine Coast out to the Similkameen Valley. Beautiful photographs showcase what you’ll see along the way: mountain peaks, alpine meadows, waterfalls, old-growth forests, and more. Every backpacking route in the book includes bonus features: Trail maps and route descriptions Elevation, distance and time information Points of cultural and natural history Pre-planning hints about fees, permits, and reservations Suggested side trips and points of particular interest Backpacking in Southwestern British Columbia also shares options for extending an overnight excursion to several nights or a week, and for selecting hikes that match your timeline/fitness level.

Living in pre-Civil War Philadelphia, young Black activist Mifflin Gibbs was feeling disheartened from fighting the overwhelming tide of White America’s legalized racism when abolitionist Julia Griffith encouraged him to “go do some great thing.” These words helped inspire him to become a successful merchant in San Francisco, and then to seek a more just society in the new colony of Vancouver Island, where he was to become a prominent citizen and elected official. Gibbs joined a movement of Black American emigrants fleeing the increasingly oppressive and anti-Black Californian legal system in 1858. They hoped to establish themselves in a new country where they would have full access to the rights of citizenship and would be free to seek success and stability. Some six hundred Black Californians made the trip to Victoria in the midst of the Fraser River Gold Rush, but their hopes of finding a welcoming new home were ultimately disappointed. They were to encounter social segregation, disenfranchisement, limited employment opportunities and rampant discrimination. But in spite of the opposition and racism they faced, these pioneers played a pivotal role in the emerging province, establishing an all-Black militia unit to protect against American invasion, casting deciding votes in the 1860 election and helping to build the province as teachers, miners, artisans, entrepreneurs and merchants. Crawford Kilian brings this vibrant period of British Columbia’s history to life, evoking the chaos and opportunity of Victoria’s gold rush boom and describing the fascinating lives of prominent Black pioneers and trailblazers, from Sylvia Stark and Saltspring Island’s notable Stark family to lifeguard and special constable Joe Fortes, who taught a generation of Vancouverites to swim. Since its original publication in 1978, Go Do Some Great Thing has remained foundational reading on the history of Black pioneers in BC. Updated and with a new foreword by Adam Rudder, the third edition of this under-told story describes the hardships and triumphs of BC’s first Black citizens and their legacy in the province today. Partial proceeds from each copy sold will be donated to the Hogan's Alley Society.

This book tells the story of the province’s geology and the history of its living creatures. The first edition of Geology of British Columbia,, with its accessible but rigorous science, struck a chord with readers. Since it was first published, theories about plate tectonics and the geological history of British Columbia have evolved, and this new edition reflects the current thinking. This book also features updated content throughout, seven new maps, and a number of new photographs. A brand new appendix lists and describes key geological sites in British Columbia, adding a field-guide component to this informative book that will engage readers and compel them to go see these rocks for themselves.

Everything British Columbia will take you on a wild romp across the province. From Lainey Lui's list of the 5 biggest celebrity scandals in BC, to crime historian Eve Lazarus's list of the 10 most bizarre murders, to chef Tojo's top 10 delicious sushi ingredients, and Stephen Hui's list of 10 long BC hikes worthy of your bucket list ... it is all here. From 11 cities (and 1 planet) Vancouver has played in the movies to 10 facts about the Ogopogo (most of them true) to 10 gigantic BC roadside attractions, this is a book that will wow and entertain you on every page. In addition to 10 weird and wonderful BC museums to 12 crotchety quotes form legendary newspaperwoman Ma Murray, and 10 times Kim Campbell was delightfully candid on Twitter, we get well-known British Columbians to weigh in on their favourite things about British Columbia. In Everything British Columbia you'll also find lists by David Suzuki, Rick Hansen, Bif Naked and many, many more. If you love British Columbia (and we know that you do), you'll love Everything British Columbia. Whether you are a lifelong resident or visiting for the first time, there's no more complete book about British Columbia and no book is more fun!

Providing a detailed account of the multitude of experiences within British Columbia, this fifth volume in Oxford's acclaimed Illustrated History of Canada series presents a compact narrative survey of British Columbia's economic, political, and social history, generously illustrated with roughly 150 paintings, drawings, and maps that shed their own light on the province's history.

Like many British Columbians in 2017, Claudia Cornwall found herself glued to the news about the disastrous wildfires across the province. Her worry was personal: her cabin at Sheridan Lake had been in the family for sixty years and was now in danger of destruction. Cornwall, a long-time writer, was stricken not just by her own experience, but by the many moving stories she came across about the fires—so she began collecting them. She met with people from BC communities of Sheridan Lake, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, 16 Mile House, Lac La Hache, Quesnel, Williams Lake, Hanceville-Riske Creek and Clinton. She hoped to be a conduit for the voices she heard—for those who fought the fires raging around them, those who were evacuated and displaced, and those who could do nothing but watch as their homes burned. She conducted over fifty hours of interviews with ranchers, cottagers, Indigenous residents, RCMP officers, evacuees, store and resort owners, search and rescue volunteers, firefighters and local government officials. Presented in British Columbia in Flames are stories that illustrate the importance of community. During the 2017 wildfires, people looked after strangers who had no place to go. They shared information. They helped each other rescue and shelter animals. They kept stores open day and night to supply gas, food and comfort to evacuees. This memoir, at once journalistic and deeply personal, highlights the strength with which BC communities can and will come together to face a terrifying force of nature.

The all-new, expanded follow-up to southwestern British Columbia’s best-selling hiking guidebook—now featuring trails on the islands and northern Washington. For nearly fifty years, David and Mary Macaree’s iconic 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia has been the province’s most popular and most trusted hiking guide, with more than 100,000 copies sold to date. Author Stephen Hui carries on the Macarees’ legacy in 105 Hikes in and around Southwestern British Columbia—an all-new, expanded follow-up inspired by their beloved classic. With an additional selection of trails on the Gulf Islands and in Washington’s North Cascades, options for hiking with children, and rainy day recommendations, 105 Hikes covers a wider area and wider range of abilities than its predecessor. Like the Macarees, Hui provides detailed information about how to get to each trailhead (including transit options, where available), distance and elevation gains, estimated hiking times, and points of natural or historical interest. But he also includes all-new features such as an at-a-glance summary of all the hikes in the book; tips for hiking safely and ethically; clear, topographical color maps; a rating system for hike quality and difficulty; Indigenous place names where appropriate; and shorter or longer options for every outing.