This third volume in Theo Dombrowski’s Secret Beaches series is a comprehensive guide to dozens of beaches on the east coast of Vancouver Island between Campbell River and Qualicum. While some of them are well used by people who live nearby, some are tucked just off the highway and others are hidden at the end of a labyrinth of roads.

Just as imp …

When Native and Métis unrest escalated into the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, settlers in southern Alberta's cattle country were terrified. Three major First Nations bordered their range, and war seemed certain. In anticipation, 114 men mustered to form the Rocky Mountain Rangers, a volunteer militia charged with ensuring the safety of the open ran …

It is said that the sparkle from Canadian diamonds mimics the awesome and seductive radiance of the northern lights. Yet until 1991, no one thought diamonds could even be found in Canada—no one except Chuck Fipke and Stu Blusson, who uncovered diamond-rich kimberlite in the Barrens at Point Lake, near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

Their spe …

In her third book of off-the-beaten-track explorations of western Canada, Liz Bryan travels scenic roads of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. From country routes winding through the Fraser Valley to forest roads on Vancouver Island leading to coastal settlements such as Zeballos and Telegraph Cove, these journeys celebrate a …

In October 1935, three prairie farm boys embarked on a deadly trail of robbery and murder that stretched across three western Canadian provinces and made newspaper headlines from coast to coast and as far away as Los Angeles. By the end of the spree, seven people were dead, including the fugitives themselves and four law-enforcement officers. For t …

In 1907, a shy bank clerk sent a collection of his poems south from the Yukon to be privately published and shared with a small group of friends. Fate intervened, however, and Robert Service became a household name across North America and throughout the British Commonwealth. Words were Service's lifelong passion, and he set them on many stages. Bu …

During the 1980s, the geography of minor-league professional hockey changed radically, moving from its roots in the Canadian Maritime provinces, New England and the Midwestern states into the American south. In addition to cities like Dallas, Charlotte, Norfolk and Oklahoma City, which had long traditions of minor-league hockey, unlikely places suc …

Technically it was a minor league, but for hockey fans west of the Mississippi, the Western Hockey League provided major-league entertainment for over 25 years.

The WHL was a determined and ambitious professional league, with some 22 teams based in major American and Canadian cities. Known as the Pacific Coast Hockey League prior to 1952, the WHL a …

In mid-July 1925, the SS Bayeskimo ran into heavy drift ice at the entrance to Hudson Strait. The ice carried her north, squeezing the steamer and testing the strength of her rivets. Helpless until the tide changed and the ice moved, the officers and crew could only watch and listen to the ship’s tormented groans. Slowly at first, trickles of fre …

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines hoax as a “humorous or malicious deception,” and hex as “a magic spell.” In Hoaxes and Hexes, Barbara Smith explores these intriguing reflections of human nature, showing our curious desire to believe in the impossible and explain the inexplicable.

Here are tales of swindlers, charlatans and imposters, …

READ ALL ABOUT IT: Hikers to Walk From East Coast to Vancouver

Canadians have long been fascinated with trekkers who conquered this country sea to sea, from John Hugh Gillis in 1906 to Terry Fox in 1980 to Rick Hansen in 1985. This adventure tale celebrates five Canadians who hiked from Halifax to Vancouver in 1921. For a nation struggling with post …

An informative sidekick to Stan Shadick's annual award-winning Skywatchers calendars, Skywatcher's Companion presents fascinating stories for skywatchers of all ages.

Discover the wonders of the night sky and learn how to find the star patterns that have inspired the myths and storytelling of great cultures of the past. Meet the gods and goddesses …

In his debut book, Greg offers guidance to over 50 dives in several areas, including Metchosin and Race Rocks, Victoria, Sansum Narrows, Saanich Inlet, Sidney and the Southern Gulf Islands.

Diver’s Guide, Vancouver Island South is fully illustrated with Greg’s own computer-generated maps, based on his personal exploration of these underwater en …

Learn the secrets of successful anglers from expert Charlie White. Here are tips that will help every angler bring home the prize. Learn about strike triggers, the role scent plays in attracting a fish to your lure, proper fishing depth and more. Charlie tackles not only the technical facts you need to know, but also the importance of maintaining a …

This is Robert James Challenger's fifth collection of beautifully illustrated, easy-to-read short stories that impart practical, moral lessons about life in today's world.

As in Aesop's fables and First Nations legends, animals, birds and insects are the ones who do the teaching. Mother Eagle helps her daughter overcome her sibling rivalry. An encou …

Fishing guru Charlie White explains the equipment and techniques for harvesting seafood, like getting the best yields of shrimp, crabs, oysters and many species of fish, including sea perch, greenling, red snapper, cod and sole. Learn how to harvest exotic seafoods such as abalone, limpets, moon snail and seaweed. Each chapter ends with a list of t …

This collection of west-coast fables combines the approach of Aesop with the oral tradition of First Nations storytellers. Woodpecker shows how to be a true friend. Beaver demonstrates how to achieve dreams through hard work. Rainbow Trout finds that all things in nature have a purpose.

Parents, grandparents and teachers will embrace Robert James Ch …

There is nothing quite like a harvest of freshly caught crabs to set the tone for a perfect shoreline feast. Charlie White shows how beginners and veteran crabbers alike can benefit from his decades of experience—from finding and capturing crabs to storing, cleaning, and cooking your catch. Whether you use crab traps or the traditional shoreline, …

With over 120 illustrations, How to Catch Shellfish shows you how, where and when to catch clams, oysters, mussels, prawns and other shellfish. Also included are:

• equipment tips
• how to outrace razor clams
• shoreline recipes

When June Cameron and Paul Holsinger set out in 1983 in Paul's ancient 26-foot wooden sloop, Wood Duck, to cross the perilous Hecate Strait and explore the weather-beaten west coast of the Queen Charlotte Islands (now known as Haida Gwaii), they knew they would face danger. But June had raced her own sailboat for years and Paul was a gifted mechani …

Slumach’s Gold chronicles what is possibly Canada’s greatest lost-mine story. It searches out the truth behind a Salish man’s hanging for murder in 1891 and tracks the intriguing legend about him that grew after his death. It was a legend that turned into a drama of international fascination when Slumach—the hanged criminal—was mysterious …

Surveyor, cartographer, fur trader, adventurer, naturalist and entrepreneur, David Thompson is now recognized as one of the greatest explorers and geographers of all time. By 1812, he had surveyed almost four million square kilometres of the North American wilderness and become the first European to navigate the entire length of the Columbia River. …

Bronc Busters and Hay Sloops tells the story of ranching in the West from the beginning of the Great War until 1960. Cowboy soldiers, bronc busters, First Nations, upper-crust Englishmen and the strong, capable women of ranching country . . . theirs are the stories told in this book. Some of these characters are larger than life, such as:

• Joe Cou …

On September 8, 1923, seven US Navy destroyers rammed into jagged rocks on the California coast. Twenty-three sailors died that night. Five years earlier, the Canadian Pacific passenger ship Princess Sophia steamed into Vanderbilt Reef in Alaska’s Lynn Canal. When she sank, she took 353 people to their deaths. From San Francisco’s fog-bound Gol …

On January 22, 1906, the passenger ship Valencia lost her way in heavy fog and rain and rammed into the deadly rocks at Pachena Point on the west coast of Vancouver Island. As the wreck was shattered by the pounding waves, the survivors clung desperately to the rigging. Few made it the short distance to shore through the frigid and turbulent waves� …

Today, many of the historic coal-mining communities of the Rocky Mountains are uninhabited ghost towns. Yet behind the crumbled ruins are tales of perseverance, danger and romance. A devastating mine explosion on Halloween shatters the lives of mining families in Nordegg. The miners of Mountain Park build a hockey rink still celebrated in local lor …

These true stories of people who work and live in the spectacular mountain wilderness of Alberta and British Columbia are filled with humour, keen observations about man and nature, and memorable human and animal characters. Old-time cowboys Johnny and Cal offer their no-nonsense brand of homespun wisdom. Wasp, the talented saddle horse, teaches hi …

For centuries, people around the world have been telling stories about tricksters—characters who solve problems by using their wits to fool others. Sometimes, these tricksters want to help people. Other times, they use their cleverness for selfish reasons. Occasionally, they aren’t as clever as they think and are tricked themselves. Although tr …

Ten gripping tales of murder and missing persons show how skulls and skeletons reveal their secrets to forensic investigators. A skull is found on a scree slope high above the mirror-calm waters of Spray Lakes. Bones rumoured for years to be buried in a Medicine Hat backyard are finally dug up. The trussed and tortured skeletal remains of an unknow …

Since 1873, the Mounties have brought the law to the furthest reaches of the Canadian frontier. Sam Steele, the "Lion of the North," was involved in almost every significant event in the Canadian West; James Macleod and James Walsh negotiated peace with the First Nations peoples. Less famous, unsung heroes risked their lives enforcing justice in th …

Shortlisted for the 2009 George Ryga Award.

This is the story of an average family that has never been the same . . . since its eldest child was swarmed and killed by her peers on a moonlit night, November 14, 1997 . . . It is the story of what sudden and horrific violence can do to a family, and how a family somehow remains intact in the face of …

Bill Miner, the gentleman bandit, enjoyed more popularity in his day than Jesse James or Billy the Kid. He robbed stagecoaches and trains across California, Colorado, Arizona, Georgia, Washington State and British Columbia until just before the First World War, by which time the public actually wanted him to escape the police.

Reporters visited him …

These stories of crime and rescue, by retired park warden and dog trainer Dale Portman, highlight the vital role dogs play in saving lives, upholding the law and recovering bodies. Portman describes the escapades of Canadian Rockies park warden Alfie Burstrom and his canine partner, Ginger—the first certified avalanche search team in North Americ …

Like many other pioneering North West Mounted Police officers, Cecil Denny was a colourful, independent man with a career full of conquest and controversy. He and his comrades played key roles in the taming of Canada's wild and woolly west, and in this compilation of selected writings from his books The Law Marches West and The Riders of the Plains …

Experience Alberta's heritage and the outdoors in Country Roads of Alberta, an intriguing photographic guidebook that takes you to places off the beaten track.

Alberta's scenery is as diverse as its topography. Fringed along its western edge by high mountains, the land descends through foothills to stretch into undulating plains sculpted by ancient …

Canadian history is full of touching stories of animal companionship, and some relationships between people and their cherished companions are legendary. From Grey Owl and the Beaver People to Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King's "little angel dogs" to Emily Carr's menagerie, these stories describe notable people and their relationships wit …

This colourful account of the Chilcotin War is an insightful and absorbing examination of an event that helped to shape the course of British Columbia history. In the spring of 1864, 14 men building a road along the Homathko River in British Columbia were killed by a Tsilhqot’in (Chilcotin) war party. Other violent deaths followed in the conflict …

Rich in stories, the Crowsnest Pass region in the southern Rocky Mountains still bears evidence of its tragedies, and one monumental triumph—a railroad rammed through the pass in 18 months. Hailed as the greatest project in the Dominion, the Crow's Nest Pass Railway was built by men who toiled with horses and primitive tools to carve the way for …

Best known for his original series of Arthurian novels, A Dream of Eagles (called The Camulod Chronicles in the US), and his Knights Templar trilogy, Jack Whyte has authored 10 international bestsellers in the past 15 years. Jack's imagination and his passion for observing human nature shine through in both his prose and his verse in this uniquely …

Remarkable cattle drives, famous ranches and legendary characters are at the heart of Ken Mather's account of the early days of ranching in British Columbia. These are stories about drovers, ranchers, cowboys and "mud pups" (the remittance men of the ranching industry). You'll meet such people as:

• the flamboyant Harper brothers, drovers who went …

Retired park warden Dale Portman lived his dream of riding the range for a living in the spectacular Canadian Rockies. His exhilarating tales take us to an Old West world of wild horses and hair-raising roundups, youthful bravado and larger-than-life characters: Bert, the tough Millarville patriach; Donny and Faye, free-spirited children of the Alb …

The Red Coat Trail of southern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta runs near the route of the North West Mounted Police’s famous 1874 March West. Today, this lonely highway passes through a windswept land of ghostly abandoned towns. Johnnie Bachusky takes readers back to the heyday of these towns, which sprang up as settlers travelled west duri …

Winner of the 2009 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour

The cops wanted to shoot me, my bosses thought I was a Bolshevik, and a local lawyer warned me that some people I was writing about might try to test the strength of my skull with a steel pipe. What more could any young reporter hope for from his first real job?

The night Mark Leiren-Young drove …

There is no saga in Canadian history as full of hardship, catastrophe and mystery as the search for the Northwest Passage. Since the 15th century, the ice-choked Arctic waterway has been sought and travelled by daring men seeking profit, glory or a chance to test themselves against the merciless North. Frances Hern takes us aboard ships with the ex …

These inspiring true stories illuminate the courage and wisdom of five 19th-century Native leaders and famous Métis who fought against impossible odds to preserve the culture and rights of their people. The visionary Cree leader Big Bear sought peace and a better life, only to be hunted mercilessly and imprisoned unjustly. Jerry Potts, the legenda …

This fourth collection of short stories written by Robert James (Jim) Challenger combines the timeless appeal of Aesop's fables with the oral storytelling traditions of First Nations and other cultures. Each story stimulates conversation about the moral woven within.

Go along on Salmon's journey. Learn how Hermit Crab found a new home. Discover why …

Hughina Harold paints a powerful picture of a world that no longer exists in this compelling account of her experiences as a young teacher and nurse on the remote Broughton Archipelago on British Columbia’s coast in the 1930s. Fresh from nursing school in Victoria and eager to start work, Harold could not have imagined the challenges that awaited …

Considered wise and powerful by the Inuit and other Native cultures, and celebrated in legend and literature, polar bears have become a charismatic symbol of animals threatened by climate change in the Arctic ecosystem. Yet for centuries, polar bears were demonized and slaughtered by adventurers who sailed the icy seas seeking wealth and glory. Th …

No vessel that sailed the Arctic seas has raised so much speculation or triggered imaginations as has the legendary Hudson's Bay Company ship Baychimo.

In the 1920s, Baychimo set up trading posts in eastern Canada, sailed on fur-trading expeditions to Siberia during the turbulent years of the Russian civil war and made dangerous annual voyages arou …

Dogs, horses and other animals have long shown courage, trust and loyalty to the people in their lives, but they also inspire selfless love in return. This touching collection of true stories shows how people and animals come together to overcome life's challenges and find hope for the future. National Service Dogs give autistic children the gift o …