A startling and unexpectedly rich collection of images from Vancouver's pre-gentrification past.

Vancouver may be a youngster among major cities, but it has a rich and beguiling history. Past Tense Vancouver blogger Lani Russwurm is a regular contributor to the popular website Vancouver Is Awesome; in this fascinating book, produced in conjunction with V.I.A., Russwurm collects stories of the people, places, events, and phenomena that collectively have infused Vancouver with a distinct flavor and flair and which laid the foundation for the eclectic city we know today. Although not without its share of social issues and contradictions, this cosmopolitan port city has long been a magnet for creative and determined types in search of opportunity and willing to rise to the challenges posed by the Terminal City. And at this moment in Vancouver's history, as it grapples with the divisive issues of rapid gentrification and overpriced real estate, Vancouver Was Awesome offers readers an opportunity to relive the city's past and to remember what was, and what might have been.

From vaudeville to beatniks, Rudyard Kipling to Charlie Chaplin, violent squirrels to train-hopping dogs, Lani Russwurm's book is an entertaining, informative, and at times jaw-dropping tour of one city's awesome past.

Includes 150 B&W and color photographs and an introduction by Vancouver Is Awesome editor-in-chief Bob Kronbauer.