First published in 1970 and later in the 1980s, the words of Bella Coola pioneer Cliff Kopas still ring true.
 

Jan Peterson’s new book, Black Diamond City, chronicles the evolution of Nanaimo from original Native settlements to coal company town to diversified Victorian-era community.
 

In the years before the First World War, the daily papers used few news photographs; the technology had not been developed to the point where photos could be used on short notice in any significant number. At the same time, however, the postcard photographer could have his news photographs on the street the day after an event took place. George Alfred Barrowclough was one of these photographers.
 

The history of Victoria is preserved in the very beams and joinery of its buildings. These structures serve as mute reminders of a bygone era, providing a peek into our past and a glimpse at the lives of the people who built them.
 

"On Earth, one gentle soul the less; in Heaven, one angel more." So reads the epitaph of Scottish nursemaid Janet Smith, the victim of a 1924 tragedy that ignited racial tension in a very young Vancouver.
 

To this day, more questions than answers surround the 1918 outbreak of a deadly flu pandemic that threatened to destroy the world. History has put death estimates as high as 50 million people worldwide. The American death toll from the flu was more than 10 times than that of World War I. In Canada, the flu started in Halifax and, wearing the name Spanish flu or “Spanish Lady,” spread steadily west to the Vancouver domain of public health officer Dr. Fred Underhill.
 

Photographer Frank Gowen emigrated to Canada from Britain near the beginning of the First World War, and fell in love with British Columbia.
 

In a province where mountain ranges are at odds with road and rail builders, and its capital city and a large portion of its population are on an island, it’s no surprise that the provision of an effective transportation system has been a challenging undertaking—or that mistakes have been made.
 

This is the second volume in Jan Peterson’s trilogy on the history of Nanaimo. Once again she brings to life the people and the events that have shaped this ever-evolving community.
 

How many times have you walked by or through an interesting old house, wondering about its past and what tales its walls could whisper if they could answer your questions?
 

Edited by Sheila Harrington and Judi Stevenson

Gorgeous, fascinating and unconventional, the maps in this collection show aspects of the Gulf Islands, the “Islands in the Salish Sea,” that are most beloved by the residents, from heritage orchards, fishing spots and patches of endangered wild orchids to ancient First Nations’ sites and bird colonies. The community on each island decided what elements should be depicted, and local artists then created each of the magnificent and wildly different maps.
 

Eighty-six-year-old Merve, the Moses of North American eco-forestry, has spent a lifetime proving that logging a forest doesn't mean cutting down all the trees.
 

Between 1891 and 1924, D’Arcy Island, near Victoria, B.C., was a prison for a society of outcasts. The press called them “The Unfortunates.” Why? They had leprosy and they were Chinese.
 

Writer/illustrator Jim Challenger is back again, this time with the fifth instalment in his popular series of contemporary fables that present practical life lessons in a beautifully illustrated, easy-to-read framework. In Nature’s Circle, he addresses the issues challenging today’s school-aged children, including bullies, cultural differences, leadership, respect, appearance, family relations, and many more.
 

Danda Humphreys is back on the streets in her third volume of stories about the origin of Victorian street names.
 

Over the past 130 years, the electorate of British Columbia, sometimes swallowing hard, has watched 32 different individuals sworn in as premier. William Rayner has studied both them and their tenure, and he has painted a fascinating portrait of the province's leaders up to the end of the 20th century.
 

Author - Jim Wolf

Rediscover New Westminster in this richly illustrated history that features many never-before-published images. Royal City is intended to be a treasured keepsake for current and past residents as well as useful tool for anyone interested in the history of British Columbia's first capital city and early photographers.
 

Author - Linda Eversole

A wealthy madam who was known from San Francisco to Victoria in the early part of the 20th century, Stella Carroll was glamorous, worldly and determined to succeed. Her bordellos were fashionably decorated and patronized by the affluent and the powerful; she offered the best of everything—fine food and wine, cigars, entertainment and, of course, girls.
 

Frances Barkley was the first European woman to set foot on the west coast of Canada. She was just 17 when, in 1786, she left England to embark on an adventurous, round-the-world voyage that was to last eight years.
 

Francis and Amy Barrow spent the summers between 1933 and 1941 exploring the west coast in their little boat, searching for and recording First Nations rock art and "yarning" with the homesteaders in remote bays and inlets.
 

The popular myth of Victoria’s genteel history—all upper-class colonists and Royal Navy dances—is ripe for puncturing. Yes, there were the wealthy and the well-born, but the city’s pioneers also included madams and murderers, salesmen and saloon-keepers.
 

After conducting decades of research and interviews with veterans on both sides of the conflict, author Brendan Coyle now reveals the campaign that included three attacks on British Columbia, an air raid on Portland, Oregon, and the harsh battles fought in Alaska.
 

Photographic postcards have been a popular form of communication for nearly a century, and the images Peter Grant has collected provide a fascinating social history of life on Vancouver Island from 1904 to 1918.