Spring 2023 Titles from Harbour Publishing

Harbour Publishing and Nightwood Editions are excited to announce our Spring 2023 titles. In the coming months, we are releasing some great books that you will want to see.

This season’s books range from regional travel guides and local histories to thought-provoking fiction and poetry, as well as beautiful large-format illustrated books.

This Place Is Who We Are is a handsome book with over a hundred photos written by Katherine Palmer Gordon. She profiles Indigenous communities in central and northern coastal BC that are reconnecting to their lands and waters—and growing and thriving through this reconnection.

Decrim, by former Mayor of Vancouver Kennedy Stewart, is an insider account of an important and controversial step in BC’s strategic effort to respond to the overdose crisis. Stewart argues that recognizing the overdose crisis as a public health issue will help reduce stigma, increase access to health services, and decrease harms related to criminalization.

Sunset and Jericho is the fourth thrilling instalment of the Sam Wiebe's Wakeland detective series that explores the depths of Vancouver’s criminal underworld. Class warfare has broken out on the streets of Vancouver, and PI Dave Wakeland finds himself on the front lines—but unsure which side he’s on.

Harbour Publishing is releasing two collections of poetry. In The Ridge, Robert Bringhurst, one of Canada’s finest contemporary poets, offers a work of nonfiction in poetic form, intensely focused on the ecological past, present and future of Canada’s West Coast. In the trick of staying and leaving, Governor General’s Literary Award-winning poet David Zieroth writes about history, connections, and travels in Europe.

Harbour is particularly excited about a pair of kids books, aimed a middle-grade readers, that encourage interaction with nature.The Science and Superpowers of Seaweed is a colourful and activity-packed introduction to the enchanting world of seaweed, featuring species from both the Pacific and Atlantic. It explores the science of seaweed and shows how to sustainably harvest and use it. A Kid's Guide to the Plants of the Pacific Northwest introduces Pacific Northwest flora, with outdoor activities, games and quizzes that make learning about nature fun. Both these books are great for families and educators!

Also in the kids book category is Paradise for Cats, in which bestselling cartoonist Adrian Raeside brings gentle humour to a story that will help cat lovers of all ages deal with the loss of a pet.  

Harbour encourages people of all ages to get outside and explore! Snorkelling is an affordable and lower-risk alternative to scuba diving, and it isn’t necessary to go deep to see the wonders of the Pacific. Snorkelling Adventures Around Vancouver Island and The Gulf Islands offers practical tips for wading into chilly waters, and describes over fifty excellent sites that offer something for beginner snorkellers as well as seasoned free divers. It is complemented by more than one hundred photos to help with species identification.

For those looking for local BC history, Sheltering in the Backrush is an engrossing read. A discovery of a trove of sepia-toned pictures from the late 1930s drew coastal historian Jeanette Taylor to research and document the history of Twin Islands.

For the urbanite, Exploring Vancouver may be of interest. This new edition of the classic guidebook brings the city’s architectural story up to date—an authoritative and highly readable book about Vancouver’s most interesting places that explains how, why and by whom the city’s urban environment was created. 

And a trip California's coast will not be complete without The New Beachcomber's Guide to Seashore Life of California. Newly revised and updated, this guide to the most common animals and plants of the California seashore is a must-have companion for any curious beach visitor.

And boating enthusiasts take note: We have new editions of the classic Dreamspeaker Cruising Guides available.  Vol. 2: The West Coast of Vancouver Island Revised Third Edition and Vol. 6: Desolation Sound & the Discovery Islands Revised Fifth Edition. Written in the personal style of a boater’s logbook, the Dreamspeaker Cruising Guide series provides vital information about featured locations, notes on recreational activities, and hand-painted maps. These are indispensable references for every boater in coastal BC.

Nightwood Editions is an independent publisher that Harbour is proud to distribute. They've got a bumper crop of great books: 

If It Gets Quiet Later On I Will Make A Display: This volume of essays, stories and poems—to be released on Independent Bookstore Day—is a powerful meditation on a life of reading, writing and bookselling. Thran captures the rare magic of reading communities and celebrates booksellers across Canada.

Burr: A ’90s-era Southern Ontario Gothic about holding on to the dead, voiced with plaintive urgency and macabre sensuality. Mixing realism and the fantastic, Brooke Lockyer’s debut novel investigates the nature of grief and longing that reach beyond the grave.

Old Gods: After winning the ReLit Award, being shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award and longlisted for the Giller Prize, Conor Kerr is releasing a collection of sharp and incisive poems.

Bramah's Quest: The ambitious second instalment of Renée Sarojini Saklikar’s epic fantasy saga in verse, The Heart of This Journey Bears All Patterns (THOT J BAP)

The Girl Who Loved The Birds: Here is the third book in a series of Kwantlen legends by award-winning author Joseph Dandurand, following The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets and A Magical Sturgeon