Far West: The Story of British Columbia

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Description

For ages 9+. British Columbia's colourful story has been told many times, but until now no one has attempted to relate the chronicle specifically for young readers. From the gold rush to the Gumboot Navy and from 'bride ships' to WAC, Bennett, BC history comes alive in this highly illustrated and vivid account by award-winning writer and historian Daniel Francis. Starting with the story of BC's aboriginal people and their lives prior to the arrival of the Europeans, 'Far West' recounts first contact with early explorers such as Captain James Cook and Captain George Vancouver and the changes the fur trade brought to the 'New World'. Francis then describes how BC was born, starting with the gold rush and Confederation eras, going through to modern times and speculating on BC's future. Richly illustrated with archival photos, colourful paintings, maps and original illustrations.

Reviews

"Although history is most often seen in black and white, [Far West] inject[s] colour onto every page... Learning about B.C.'s history was never this much fun when I was a kid, and Francis' books was eye candy that I greedily devoured."
--Lisa Smedman, "The Vancouver Courier"

Author Bio

Daniel Francis is a historian and author of over twenty books, including Far West: The Story of British Columbia (Harbour, 2006), Trucking in British Columbia: An Illustrated History (Harbour, 2012), and most recently, Closing Time: Prohibition, Rum-Runners, and Border Wars (Douglas & McIntyre, 2014). He also edited the Encyclopedia of British Columbia (Harbour, 2000) and is a columnist and editorial board member of Geist magazine. Daniel Francis lives in North Vancouver, BC.