Daniel Francis

Reading the National Narrative

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March 7, 2022

Strolling along Commercial Drive in the weekend sunshine I was pleased to encounter this front window at Pulpfiction. That's me on the top right.

The Drive has become something of a literary precinct with three important independent booksellers in residence: The People's Co-op Bookstore at #1391, Pulpfiction at  #1744 and Spartacus Books at #1983. Plan accordingly.

February 21, 2022

The Ormsby Review has announced that it is changing its name. The five-year-old book review site, originally named as an homage to noted BC historian Margaret Ormsby, is re-branding as The British Columbia Review.

Site editor Richard Mackie explains that the new name more...

February 14, 2022

Canada's History has recently launched an online series of animated videos for youngsters, called "History Bits".

The videos cover a variety of subjects in Canadian history, from farming in the Depression to spying in World War Two to women's suffrage. And many other things as well. Lots of fun stuff so...

February 2, 2022

The transformation of False Creek from an industrial centre to an urban playground -- that's it above -- is one of the major developments of the past 50 years in Vancouver's  history.

If you were unable to attend my illustrated talk on the evolution of the post-war city, hosted by the Vancouver Historical Society, it has been...

January 26, 2022

I got my start as a historical researcher studying the records of 18th-century fur traders written by candlelight with a quill pen in frozen trading posts on the shores of Hudson Bay.

So when the folks at The Ormsby Review invited me to review a new history of the Hudson Bay Company, naturally I agreed. The result has just been posted and can be found...

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