A brisk chronicle of Vancouver, BC, from early days to its emergence as a global metropolis, refracted through the events, characters and communities that have shaped the city.In Becoming Vancouver award-winning historian Daniel Francis follows the evolution of the city from early habitation by the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, to the area’s settlement as a mill town, to the flourishing era speakeasies and brothels during the 1920s, ...

At the end of World War I, Canada was poised on the brink of social revolution. At least that is what many Canadians, inspired by the Russian Revolution, hoped and others dreaded. Seeing Reds documents a turbulent period in Canadian history, when in 1918-19 a fearful government tried to suppress radical political activity by branding legitimate labor leaders as Bolsheviks.”

As Canadians, we remember the stories told to us in high-school history class as condensed images of the past--the glorious Mountie, the fearsome Native, the Last Spike. National Dreams is an incisive study of the most persistent icons and stories in Canadian history, and how they inform our sense of national identity: the fundamental beliefs that we Canadians hold about ourselves. National Dreams is the story of our stories; the myths and truths of our collective past th...

LD is the colourful biography of Louis Taylor, the longest-serving mayor in Vancouver's history; he was first elected mayor in 1910, and served off and on until 1934, for a total of eleven years. Taylor's story is also the story of Vancouver in the early decades of the 20th century, a young city experiencing a turbulent adolescence.Louis Taylor, or LD as he was known, arrived in Vancouver from Chicago in 1896 at the age of 39. He got involved in the newspaper business, fir...

First published in 1992, The Imaginary Indian is a revealing history of the "Indian" image mythologized by popular Canadian culture since 1850, propagating stereotypes that exist to this day.Images of First Nations people have always been fundamental to Canadian culture. From the paintings and photographs of the 19th century to the Mounted Police sagas and the spectacle of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show; from the performances of Pauline Johnson, Grey Owl, and Buffalo Long L...

Life in the backyard of the lake house was pleasant and peaceful, at least until the bird feeder arrived. All was well until the day the feeder went empty. Frustrated by the lack of birdseed, the creatures in the backyard decided to take matters into their own “hands”. What followed was a series of humorous, albeit chaotic encounters that changed their lives forever. The story of Larry Lizard, Molly Mockingbird and all of the other backyard animals is sure to leave you with a smile on your...

Dale always wanted to overcome his fear of the sea. One day, he stumbled upon a big surprise that sent his life on an amazing journey. Open the pages of this book and discover how the wish of a fish changed his life forever.

The persistent trauma of extreme, institutionalized racism can be expected to take its toll on anyone. But resilience, instead, is the main theme of Azra Daniel Francis’s latest book, a raw and deeply personal memoir that details his experience growing up in South Africa. Through vignettes of people, places, and institutions that impacted him, Francis’s account details his always being an outsider in his own country. And when he finds no relief from racism and exploitation in his adopted coun...

At the end of World War I, Canada was poised on the brink of social revolution. At least that is what many Canadians, inspired by the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917, hoped and others dreaded. Seeing Reds tells the story of this turbulent period in Canadian history during the winter of 191819, when a fearful government led by Prime Minister Robert Borden tried to suppress radical political activity by branding legitimate labour leaders as "Bolsheviks" and "Reds." Canada was in th...

A weekend out of town should mean peace and lightheartedness, but it can also lead into unchartered situations, from the odd to the life-threatening, treading a thin line between bucolic charm and sheer madness. Pedro and Yuri are trying to find peace once more, or perhaps to rediscover themselves, but right from the start they have to cope with people who approach them in an ambiguous way, to say the least. Little by little, and against their will, they are drawn into a surreal scenery, p...

We first meet Baby, a 10-year-old Jewish boy, abused by his mother, when he learns that his GI father has been killed in Europe during a World War II battle.This shocking news, as well as the Nazi extermination of six million Jews, transforms Baby's quest to one involving alcohol, LSD, and murder. This drug-induced euphoria continues to haunt him and his search for love because wherever he goes...realistic visions of Nazis constantly follow him.Judith, a magazine editor, at...

An audio edition of Paulo Coelho's Christmas Stories.This includes several Christmas tales that speak of the joy, generosity, humility, and small yet large miracles that we experience in our day to day lives.