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."
The Nanaimo Bastion, which marked its 150th anniversary in 2003, remains a prominent symbol of Nanaimo's heritage as an HBC fort, coal-mining centre and transportation hub, a vital link between other developing parts of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland. Hub City, the second volume in Jan Peterson's trilogy on Nanaimo's vibrant history, tells of the development of this Vancouver Island community from the arrival of the E&N Railway in 1886 through to the end of the First World War and the Spanish enfluenza epidemic. Included in her story are such pivotal events as the mining disaster of 1887, the Big Strike of 1912-1914, the emergence of the labour movement, and the rise and fall of coal baron James Dunsmuir.