Covers the city of Vancouver and the surrounding metropolitan area primarily located in the Greater Vancouver Regional District.

In his ambitious magnum opus, The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver, author Chuck Davis embraced 125 years of material, with the signature exuberance and talent for storytelling that made him one of Vancouver's most successful and beloved journalists and broadcasters. This volume represents the culmination of his life as a folk historian, someone who was obsessed and delighted by all things Vancouver, and of his immense contribution to historical knowledge of the city of Vancouver. It was nearly realized, but not quite completed before his death in November, 2010. Harbour Publishing worked with Davis on The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver for five years, and has collaborated with the Vancouver Historical Society to complete the volume in 2011 to mark the city's 125th anniversary, as was the author's plan. Arranged chronologically, and illustrated with a trove of archival photographs, this volume includes influential characters both famous, like White Spot founder Nat Bailey, and nearly-forgotten, like Sara Anne McLagan, the first female publisher of a daily newspaper in Canada, plus many tales of eccentric locals and celebrity visitors. Here too are Vancouver's unforgettable and formative events, from the tragic collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge to the city's first rock 'n' roll concert ("the ultimate in musical depravity"). The story of how Vancouver grew from a ramshackle tumble of stumps, brush and crude wooden buildings to today's urban metropolis turns out to be interesting, complicated, frequently rancorous and occasionally even funny. And the book is, as the author hoped, "fun, fat and filled with facts."

'At Home with History' is a collection of real life stories that bring to life the glamorous and not-so-glamorous social histories of selected heritage homes in Greater Vancouver-stories of brothels and bootleggers, secret rooms, and Shakespearean-style murders. An Italian family survives the depression by selling booze and sandwiches from their eastside home. A Shaughnessy mansion headquarters the Klu Klux Klan and then a children's hospice. A secret radio room is uncovered during renovations. Every home has a social history and a genealogy that tells a tremendous amount about the history of the times and offers up a sense of place. Current home-owners are only temporary custodians, part of the chain in the ongoing narrative of the house. People change, styles change, colours change, cars change, but through it all, the house remains a central fixture and the structure for the stories in 'At Home with History'."Want to know which Shaughnessy mansion was a former Ku Klux Klan headquarters or which Strathcona house guitarist Jimi Hendrix once lived in? You'll find the answers in 'At Home With History'. - The Vancouver Courier

From Hudson's Bay outpost to gold rush fever and coal and lumber barons to political scandals Island-style to the mighty Douglas fir and Pacific salmon and profiles of Emily Carr, Cougar Annie and the Dunsmuir clan, no book is more comprehensive than the Vancouver Island Book of Everything. No book is more fun! Well-known Islanders weigh in on their favourite things about Vancouver Island. Robert Bateman shares his five most inspiring island locales; Michael Halleran tells us the five graves you simply must visit at Ross Bay Cemetery; Ian Vantreight tells us his five Island weather complaints; history teacher and Vancouver Island digital archive editor Patrick Dunae gives us his five essential Vancouver Island reads; professor Barbara Helem Whittington gives us her five favorite memories of growing up on the island. From politics to the country's best weather to the origins behind place names, Island slang, serial killers and the First People...it's all here! Whether you are a lifelong resident or visiting for the first time, there's no more complete book about Vancouver Island. If you love Vancouver Island, you'll love the Vancouver Island Book of Everything!

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.

The go-to book on Canada’s west coast gem—from affordable activities to crime and punishment, slang to weather, people to politics, and much more. From “Gassy” Jack Deighton and the Klondike Gold Rush to the Chinese Head Tax to Japanese Internment, the Strathcona Protest, Vancouver Canucks and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games to profiles of the original “Dominic Da Vinci,” Larry Campbell, famed author Douglas Coupland, and environmentalist David Suzuki, no book is more comprehensive than the Vancouver Book of Everything. No book is more fun. Well-known Vancouverites weigh in on every aspect of their beloved city. Historian Chuck Davis gives us his top five events that shaped its history; author Jen Sookfong Lee gives us her top five best things about living in Vancouver; Vancouver Sun restaurant critic Mia Stainsby gives us the city’s top five cheap eats and Global TV’s meteorologist, Mark Madryga, offers up his top five Vancouver weather events. From the city’s First People and infamous weather to its slang, heinous crimes, and the ubiquitous Japa dog, it’s all here. Whether you are a lifelong resident or visiting for the first time, there is no better resource about the city of Vancouver, you’ll love the Vancouver Book of Everything. “Even born-and-bred Vancouverites will doubtless find something of interest in the Vancouver Book of Everything.” —The Westender “The book combines tourist elements . . . with facts that even seasoned Vancouverites may not know.” —Miss604 “When your friends start asking questions about the city, hand them the Vancouver Book of Everything.” —Vancouver Sun

This book reveals the differences between Seattle and Vancouver as well as the similarities of the two cities, and it serves as an exuberant and insightful guide to discovering and enjoying their unique offerings. Included is contact information for lodging, dining, shopping, and recreational activities plus a calendar of events, photos, and maps.