BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Winner of Best Food Literature (Canada) at the 2012 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards
In this intimate guide to Alberta's sustainable food scene, writer, poet, professional chef, and food advocate Dee Hobsbawn-Smith profiles more than seventy-five of the province's growers and producers. Learn the A to Z's of each producer, from Asparagus growers to Zizania cultivators, and enjoy the twenty-six original recipes, one for each type of produce.
The book also examines the ground that farmers stand on: government involvement, sustainability and the environment, animal welfare, farm labour, and organizations from Slow Food to the grassroots Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement.
An (agri)cultural examination of modern farming that offers a clear look at current government policies and sustainable growers' best practices, Foodshed sets forth some of the issues that modern farmers face, as seen by the growers themselves.
In [Foodshed], along with the main dish of stories aligned with each letter of the alphabet, [Hobsbawn-Smith] has seasoned the offering with 26 original recipes. She also serves up well-researched explanations of current food issues and trends, and still manages to keep the whole meal appetizing enough that we'll want to go out and reap the bounty of her creative A-Z harvest. —Calgary Herald
Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet by dee Hobsbawn-Smith was voted best Alberta cookbook in CBC Books' Cross-Country Cookbook Shelf.
While the stories are about Alberta growers and producers, their stories are relevant to anyone interested in sustainable eating. Foodshed is sure to take you on a journey beyond your local farmers market and into the heart of local living. —Savour Life Magazine
As an author, an artist, a cook, a thinker . . . dee has created an important treatise on the evolution of culinary Alberta. This is a great book, as free-form and unconventional as the author herself. —Anita Stewart, culinary activist, author, founder of Food Day Canada, and member of the Order of Canada
Dee has known these farmers for a long time. She has nurtured her relationships with them and it shows. Their stories are personal and real . . . But throughout all this, it is the deep connection to the land that stands out. —Culinaire
Foodshed is a rich encyclopedia of facts, farm-gate lore and original recipes. It's also a politically engaging narrative in which Hobsbawn-Smith articulates the challenges and joys faced by small-scale producers in Alberta. —The Globe and Mail
"Foodshed: An Edible Prairie Alphabet recieves third place in the Les Dames d' Escoffier International MFK Fisher Award for Excellence in Culinary Writing."