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Some responses to First Invaders: The Literary Origins of British Columbia, Vol. 1 (Ronsdale, 2004).
“There is absolutely no substitute for this panorama of our shared beginnings.” --Mark Forsythe, CBC Almanac
"First Invaders is the most enjoyable book on B.C. history that I have read for years." -- Jim Christy, Georgia Straight
"First Invaders is a treasure trove of little-known information. -- Robert J. Wiersema, Quill & Quire
"Engrossing... It's hard to imagine anyone better qualified to undertake the project than Twigg." -- David Colterjohn, Vancouver Sun
"Fascinating historical accounts" -- Campbell River Mirror
"Fascinating... Studded with scads of maps and illustrations... A reference book even impecunious students afford." -- Lynne Van Luven, Times Colonist
"I got lost and found in it." -- Edith Iglauer, author of Fishing with John
This unprecedented volume about British Columbia 's earliest authors and first explorers (prior to 1800) provides a fascinating range of characters, events and intrigues. The names Cook and Quadra ring a bell for most of us, as do Bering and Vancouver, but what about the first year-round European resident of B.C, the Irish drunkard John Mackay? He voluntarily wintered at Nootka Sound in 1786 well before the more famous John Jewitt became the so-called “white slave” of Chief Maquinna in 1803. A year later the first European woman to visit and write about British Columbia was the 18-year-old bride Frances Barkley. She circumnavigated the globe with her husband after making a lasting impression at Friendly Cove with her long red hair in 1787. And how much do we know about the Greek-born navigator Juan de Fuca? Or the Machiavelli of the maritime fur trade, John Meares?
More than 50 pre-19th century characters are presented – each with their own entry and bibliography. A few unlikely inclusions are French philosopher Denis Diderot and Jonathan Swift whose second volume of Gulliver's Travels is situated in a region roughly equivalent to British Columbia . Alan Twigg has researched and skilfully introduced the first people to write about the west coast of Canada , provided extracts, gathered images, taken photographs and let the composite story unravel like a mini-series. First Invaders concludes with Alexander Mackenzie and his overland trek to the Pacific in 1793, after providing ample coverage of the many lesser-known Spaniards and Americans who arrived in the wake of Captain James Cook in 1778—and Captain Juan Pérez, the ‘discoverer' of British Columbia, in 1774.
1-55380-018-4
BISAC: HIS006000, REF009000
6 X 9 230 pp 60 b&w photos & maps
Trade paper
Price $21.95 CDN $18.95 US
History, Literary Reference, Pacific Northwest Coast
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