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The Judge and the Lady
When the beautiful and flirtatious Eleanor Wentworth is sent away from London in 1870 for her scandalous behaviour, she arrives, angry and rebellious, in Victoria, a town that falls far below her expectations of society. Soon, however, she is befriended by Celia Turner, the freethinking young wife of a conservative minister, and unlikely though it seems, they become lifelong friends. When Eleanor meets the fascinating judge Matthew Baillie Begbie, the first chief justice of BC, life in the colony suddenly becomes much more attractive. Discover life in vibrant, late-nineteenth century Victoria and meet the characters who helped build the province's rich history.
Sweetness from Ashes
Set partially in Vancouver, partially on a farm in rural Ontario and partially in West Africa, Sweetness from Ashes is a novel about family in its various forms. When Sheila, Jenny and Chris decide to respect a deceased relative’s wishes, and return the ashes to the family farm, the three begin a journey that takes them from their present-day lives in Vancouver to a deeper discovery of their roots and the family’s past. In Ontario, they meet their cousins and start to reconcile with a buried history. Mixed into the story is a book that Jenny is editing, a memoir of an Englishman living in the colonial Gold Coast in the 1950s. The link goes beyond the manuscript and interweaves with the Ontario family farm, and the new generation of people who have come home. Sweetness from Ashes is a vibrant novel with a voice and perspective that is contemporary but gives a nod to the past.
Daggers Unsheathed
Daggers Unsheathed: The Political Assassination of Glen Clark is the story of the Glen Clark era in British Columbia politics. From the 1995 announcement of his NDP leadership aspirations to the day in 2002 when he was acquitted of criminal charges in a BC court, Glen Clark was the dominant personality in West Coast politics. Clark's style and politics as premier of BC ensured that everyone had a reaction to him. Opinions varied widely and emotions ran high, not only among opposition politicos, but also within his own party, the media, the public, and even, some say, the RCMP. Drawing on a wide range of interviews, access to the former premier's family, and an extensive review of media files...
Old Square-Toes and His Lady
At the pinnacle of his career, Sir James Douglas, fur trader and colonial governor, was knighted by the order of Queen Victoria, and greatly enjoyed the pomp of his position. Considering his modest beginnings as a mixed-race baby in South America, this lofty status was remarkable. The life of Amelia, companion throughout James' long rise, saw even more surprising changes. Amelia was of mixed blood too, being part-Cree, part-Scot. She never left the northern Canadian forests until she married James, but ended up a respected lady of the Empire. Between them, James and Amelia Douglas knew everybody who was anybody in western North America. Their lives saw astonishing contrasts, from crossing North America by canoe to touring Europe by train, from Native uprisings to frantic gold rushes. They met with grief as well as glory, losing seven of their beloved children. This is an engaging story of courage and companionship - though James Douglas's role as a public figure is well known, this book offers the first real glimpses of him as a private man, husband and father.
The Maquinna Line
A murder, a tryst, a mysterious child. A Victoria aristocrat who obsesses over her Churchill relatives. A repressive Welsh mother with a royalty fixation. A once-carefree Hesquiat girl from Nootka Sound. A dashing Icelandic philanderer. And quiet, steady Julia Godolphin, trying to rise above it all. The lost novel of Norma Macmillan, the Vancouver actress who lived much of her life in New York and Hollywood, is the work of a woman steeped in the American entertainment industry but deeply in love with the history of her native province, which eventually drew her home before her death in 2001. The Maquinna Line: A Family Saga is set on Vancouver Island from 1871 to 1945, with a nod to the meeting of Captain Cook and Chief Maquinna in 1778. It traces the stories of the five families of varied social standing, including two descendents of Chief Maquinna. In the end, they’re all ordinary people trying to find happiness in the face of intrigue, ambition, misunderstanding and changing social and sexual mores.
True Home
"Her book is a gift to all of us."— Patrick Lane, author of There is a Season Following the lead of her earlier bestselling books, Anny Scoones once again charms and inspires readers with her insights and observations. Using her experiences on a farm as a backdrop, Anny muses on the environment, fate, time and aging. In this collection of personal memoirs, Anny reaches deeper into what nature, rural life and agriculture mean to us. She explores the thrills, joys and disasters of what really happens in the countryside and nearby towns. Stories vary from a rescued dog Anny met in the town bank, to a grand old white pine tree that was given a new purpose, to a horse who couldn’t relax without blackberries, to the joys of the garage sale—even a recipe for quince jelly. The book is illustrated by renowned Canadian artists Molly Lamb Bobak and Bruno Bobak. True Home is the third and final part of the Glamorgan Farm collection, tales of one of the oldest pioneer farms on Vancouver Island.
Above the Falls
In May 1936, George Dalziel flew far up the Nahanni River to check on Bill Eppler and Joe Mulholland, who were working one of his traplines. He found their cabin burned to the ground and no sign of them anywhere. What had happened to the healthy young men? Had there been an accident, or was a killer on the loose? Dalziel, known as The Flying Trapper, had a successful trapping operation along the Flat, South Nahanni and Liard rivers. Using his small airplane to locate areas rich in marten and beaver, he would leave his men in this wild country and drop in from time to time to check on them and fly out the pelts. The authorities wanted to shut Dal down. So when he saw the burned-down cabin, he knew he was in trouble. In Above the Falls, a suspenseful, fact-based novel, John Harris uses RCMP reports and the testimony of local trappers to paint a vivid picture of a gripping winter chase, an unsolved mystery and a now-vanished lifestyle in the great northern wilderness.
The Lawman
Keeping the peace in turn-of-the-century B.C. Murderers, thieves and drunks tested the will of Superintendent Fred Hussey, the B.C. Provincial Police officer appointed to keep the peace in rough-and-tumble, turn-of-the-century B.C. But in his action-packed and often risky career, he always relied on the power of reason rather than force to set things right. Even his prisoners seemed to like him, it was said. Hussey's work took him from formal dinners in elegant mansions to chilly breakfasts around campfires. In a 20-year period that saw the province's population mushroom by 100,000, he knew the famous and the infamous, from Judge Matthew Baillie Begbie to train robber Bill Miner and everyone in between. Inspecting his vast territory on horseback, by steamer and canoe, this remarkable man set the tone for the peaceful development of the young province. A glimpse into the ambience of a bygone era, The Lawman is an engaging look at the life and adventures of a self-possessed hero in turbulent times.
Ghosts
The famous Victoria ghost who appeared to a tour group listening to her story, the little boy playing with a red ball in Nanaimo, the phantom “helper” in a restaurant kitchen – these are among the true stories in Robert Belyk’s new Ghosts. Encounters with entities from a different reality do occur in the rational, modern world; the experiences collected here range from the colonial days to the year 2000. Many ghosts haunt private houses, but some are associated with public places and buildings, such as Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, the Vancouver General Hospital and the Qualicum Heritage Inn on Vancouver Island. Ghosts: True Tales of Eerie Encounters is an expanded and updated collection of stories , some of which first appeared in Ghosts: True Stories from British Columbia.
Peter O'Reilly
Powerful and diligent, Peter O’Reilly played a role in shaping British Columbia in the last quarter of the 1800s. An immigrant from Ireland, O’Reilly landed in Victoria during the height of the Cariboo Gold Rush and was appointed gold commissioner for BC. He held the position of county court judge, and sorted settler and Native disputes, despite often having to function as an assistant land commissioner. From 1880 to 1898, O’Reilly was the federally appointed BC Indian Reserve Lands commissioner. Many of his decisions about the location and size of Native reserves continue to be challenged in the courts to this day. In Peter O’Reilly, we also see the private side of this industrious man, a man who enjoyed the vast wilderness for years, on horseback or by foot, on snowshoes or in a canoe. He had many acquaintances and two close friends, Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie and Edward Dewdney. He lived with his cherished wife, Caroline Trutch O’Reilly, and their children at Point Ellice House in Victoria, BC.
