Upcoming Books from Harbour Publishing

This year, Harbour Publishing is celebrating 50 years of publishing great books. And what better way to commemorate this anniversary than with a lavish new edition of Raincoast Chronicles, the series that has always been at the heart of Harbour’s mission to express the rich culture and history of the West Coast. Raincoast Chronicles: Fifth Five is cloth volume that combines the past four instalments of the Raincoast Chronicles series, including pieces by Al Purdy, Anne Cameron, Edith Iglauer, Patrick Lane and Grant Lawrence; thrilling tales of disasters at sea; bush plane feats; eerie coastal ghost towns; and reminisces of the Schnarr sisters who kept cougars as pets. This special edition of Raincoast Chronicles also includes never-before-published content by Alan Haig-Brown, focusing on his formative years as a deckhand in the 1960s and early ‘70s on a fishing boat run by a We Wai Kai family. Haig-Brown's story outlines the history of commercial fishing and its twisting relations with Indigenous peoples, mirrored by his vivid account of life aboard where “there are no typical days.” 

Never Boring: The Up and Down History of the Vancouver Canucks by veteran hockey writer Ed Willes takes a deep dive into the thrilling, infuriating and fascinating history of the Vancouver Canucks. Irreverent and bitterly funny, Willes tells the truth behind the team and the litany of woe that stretches back farther and runs deeper than many fans realize, starring several of the biggest names in hockey history. 

Climate policy expert Dr. Thomas F. Pedersen highlights the key players and experts involved in the evolution and implementation of British Columbia’s carbon tax policy in The Carbon Tax Question: Clarifying Canada’s Most Consequential Policy Debate, including the lesser known decision BC made to establish its own revenue-neutral carbon taxation policy in 2008. In comparisons to other taxation attempts across the world, including the remarkable convoluted debacle in Australia, Pedersen argues BC’s tax policy is a template for the rest of the world, and a gold standard for public policy to effectively counter climate change. A must-read for policymakers, economists, environmentalists and citizens interested in socially-just, equitable solutions to address climate change.

From Haida Gwaii comes Ilskyalas Delores Churchill, a Haida weaver sharing her stories of her life, culture and the importance passing cultural knowledge from one generation to the next in From a Square to a Circle – Haida Basketry. Part memoir, part how-to guide, this book spotlights Churchill’s weaving teachers including her mother Selina (Ilst’ayaa) to share the art of weaving and how it connects to Haida history. Readers can delight in Churchill’s stories while trying out weaving themselves from scratch, using photos and diagrams to guide them alongside detailed instruction.

For the avid forager is A Field Guide to Edible Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest by Daniel Winkler. This pocket-sized guide includes full-colour photos of mushrooms from trails to roadsides, forests and laws for readers to spot and admire on their adventures. With over forty common and easily recognizable edible mushrooms (and warnings about their not-so-edible look-alikes) readers can expect to discover fungus from boletes, chanterelles, shaggy manes, to matsutakes and candy caps. A must-have for mushroom lovers exploring the Pacific Northwest.

For the Kids

A headstrong orca who “thinks after he gets into trouble instead of before” finds himself on a thrilling adventure in A Whale Named Henry, a coastal classic first published in 1983, written by M. Wylie Blanchet. While Henry is trying to prove he can take care of himself to his pod he ends up pursuing salmon into the Skookumchuck Rapids and is whisked away from his family. Henry must find his way out through tugboats, seagulls and even goats to get home again. This book,  contains the original illustrations by Jaqueline McKay Mathews, and is sure to continue to captivate and delight children again and again.

From Nightwood Editions, Kwantlen First Nation’s author Joseph Dandurand teams up again with illustrator Elinor Atkins for The Bears and the Magic Masks, a colourful depiction of the relationship between bears and the Kwantlen people for children ages 6-8. When the master carver falls into the river, the bears rescue them and receive animal masks as thanks. However, the bears soon discover the masks are also magical. Charming and gorgeously drawn, this book is sure to impress children and adult readers alike.

Puzzling it Out: O Canada Crosswords celebrates a quarter century of puzzling fun

O Canada Crosswords Book 25 by Gwen Sjogren is back to celebrate the joy of being Canadian with 85 puzzles from People, Places, Landmarks and all things uniquely Canadian. For the more intense crossword hero, there’s 10 specialty puzzles with non-standard grids, three “challenger” puzzles with no three letter answers and fill in the blank clues. To celebrate a quarter century of puzzles, the final crossword takes the puzzler through 25 years of Canadiana.

Upcoming Fiction

From Nightwood Editions comes David O’Meara’s three-part portrait fiction novel Chandelier. The parts include characters twenty year old Georgia, who flees to South Korea after grappling with the sudden loss of her best friend, as well as Hugo Walser, a failing architect who spends his days drinking until his ex-wife mysteriously disappears, and lastly Sarah, a high-end real estate agent duped out of her life savings by a con man, which is only the beginning of her misfortunes. This book navigates profound loss and disappointment and the crux between despair and optimism.

Poetry

After half a century including two literary awards and six publications, BC poet David Zieroth is not a name to sneeze at. First Here and then Far is a meticulously gathered collection of his poetry from 1971 to 2024 that showcases his unique voice, with the chronological arrangement allowing readers to follow the evolution of his style and precision. It follows his meditations on life from a rural Prairie upbringing to considerations of his family and history, with a previously unpublished poem included at the end. An essential document of a long and endlessly inventive life in words, first here and then far is a worthy testament to the energy and subtle insight of a poet who remains at the height of his powers.

From Nightwood Editions comes I Feel That Way Too, a poetic response to the #MeToo movement by jaz papadopoulos. The poetry weaves through past and present, drawing together art, philosophy, the Jian Ghomeshi trial and childhood memory to interrogate how media and social power structures sustain patriarchal ideologies. Each poem is lyrical and meditative, inspired by the works of Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Anne Carson, A.M. O’Malley and Isobel O’hare, attempting to make sense of the nervous system in battle and recovery.

Another Nightwood Editions poetry title is the queer, socially anxious and altogether deeply real collection I Hate Parties by Jes Battis. It offers the B-side of growing up queer, autistic and nonbinary using deliberately shaky media to showcase a world of missed connections, social disasters and a life that constantly surprises. Nineties metaphors meet modern discussions of neurodiversity and trans rights in Canada to guide readers through the best and worst parties of our lives—and to the secret room beyond it, where being awkward is the only dress code.