Daniel Francis

Reading the National Narrative

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April 22, 2020

Several years ago on my first, and only, trip to New York City, I paid a visit to the Tenement Museum on Orchard Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side.

The museum consists of a small storefront reception area where we were assigned a young guide who then led us into a nearby tenement building where the lives of early 20th century garment workers...

April 22, 2020

Spring in Vancouver.

April 5, 2020

Good news for anyone seeking to learn more about things British Columbian.

The Encyclopedia of British Columbia is now free online. My publisher, Harbour Publishing, has decided generously to make the EBC available at a time when the public, and especially students, are looking for reliable sources of information. So it has torn down the paywall. All you have to do is get yourself...

April 2, 2020

For several years I have been a member of the local heritage advistory committee, which as the name suggests advises local government on heritage issues.

As a committee, we spend a lot of time regretting the disappearance of yet one more valuable heritage structure. So it is nice to have a small success story to report.

The home pictured above is known as the Copper Cottage. Built in...

March 31, 2020

As many readers know, I've been working on a new book for the past couple of years, a history of Vancouver. 

Becoming Vancouver: A New History was in the middle of the editing/design process, scheduled for fall publication, when the epidemic hit. My publisher (Harbour Publishing) and I agree that it makes little sense to bring a new book into such an uncertain world: stores closed, festivals cancelled; readings dangerous. Especially a book which is not time-sensitive. 

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