Ten classic Vancouver books are being republished this year as part of the city's 125th anniversary celebrations. The "lost gems," as they're being called, were announced on Thursday. Chosen by the Association of Book Publishers of BC and Vancouver Poet Laureate Brad Cran, they include four novels, four works of non-fiction and two books of poetry: Dorothy Livesay's Day and Night and Anhaga by Jon Furberg.
The novels include D.M. Fraser's Class Warfare and Betty Lambert's celebrated Crossings, both classics of 1970s fiction; Truman Green's A Credit to Your Race - a novel he self-published in 1973 with an original print run of 300 - about racial prejudice set in Surrey, BC; and Bertrand W. Sinclair's 1924 lost classic The Inverted Pyramid, a critique of the economic and social conditions in pre-First World War Vancouver.
Among the non-fiction offerings is Opening Doors: Vancouver's East End, an oral history by Strathcona writers Daphne Marlatt and Carole Itter. Edward Starkins's Who Killed Janet Smith explores a notorious unsolved Vancouver murder dating back to 1924; A Hard Man to Beat by Abbotsford-born writer Howard White; and Along the No. 20 Line: Reminiscences of the Vancouver Waterfront by Rolf Knight.
"These books are a testament to the depth of Vancouver's literary history and the vibrant writing community that now thrives in our city," said Cran, in a statement. "They represent a love of the written word and show absolute esteem for the oral histories that define us as a city. To read these books is to understand Vancouver and how we have become a city of great literature."
The books were selected from submissions by publishers and suggestions by an advisory committee. "Our publishers have stepped up to the plate to ensure our literary and social history remains available to the public," said Margaret Reynolds, Executive Director of the Association of Book Publishers of BC, in a statement.
The Vancouver 125 Legacy Books Collection will be published in the fall.
Marsha Lederman