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."
When members of the fledgling North West Mounted Police first travelled west in 1874, they found a vast and rugged land ruled by whiskey traders, outlaws, and proud First Nations. From remote barracks in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, they quickly rose to the job of settling disputes and meting out frontier justice. They put their lives on the line and sometimes paid the ultimate price for it, as revealed in the story of Manitoba's beloved first police chief, Richard Power, who drowned while pursuing the fugitive Mike Carroll. In other stories, the frontier town of Calgary is the site of the first hanging of a white man in western Canada, while further east, a quick-witted Métis from St. Boniface earns the title of Manitoba's first Indigenous outlaw. These are amazing stories indeed of a formative time in Canada's history and the diverse people who played a role in bringing justice to the western plains.