NEWS photo Terry Peters

DANIEL Francis edited the recently published
Encyclopedia of British Columbia.

ine hundred
years of

. Akt

Art BC by Ian Thom,
Douglas & Mcintyre,
* 232 Pages, $60

Terry Peters
Contributing Writer

Celebrating twentieth
- century art in British
~. Columbia, Ian Thom
focuses on 100 outstand-
ing examples of B.C.’s top
artists. -
He provides an insight-
: ful overview to the devel-
opment of the arts com-
munity in his introduction, then moves straight into the
tion of the artworks. Beginning with an exquisite argilite chest
by carver Charles Edenshaw, circa 1890, Thom interweaves the
native artists into the history of B.C. art. The chronological
_ progression makes apparent the influences of the artists.
» Many of the works included are by familiar names such as

Sve Tate's page 18

Marcie Good

News Reporter
mgoud@usnews.com

WHY do we call this
province Lotus Land?

And why does Nanaimo
get the credit for those sickly
sweet chocolate square

And what is the name of
that B.C. clam so big it can’t
fir in its own shell?

You can find the answers all
in one place, the 806-page
Enexclopedia uf British
Columbia. That ist you can
find a copy.

The eight-pound tome,
edited by North Vancouverite
Daniel Francis, flew off th
shelves like vicerov butterflies
(a monarch mimic, once a rare
inhabitant of the southern
Interior, Which has not been

f ars). The first
15,000 copies, , selling for
$99.99, were snapped up in
three weeks in September. Th
second printing of £5,000 is
on. its way.

It seems that Lotus Eaters
—- a reference applied to laid-
back British Columbians,
drawn from the episode in
Homer's Odyssey where an
atmosphere of languid indo-
lence saps the will of Ithacan
soldiers — were as hungry tor
their own encyclopedia as
Francis had beett.

He had first tossed around
the idea with Howard White
of Harbour Publishing more
than 10 years ago.

As a writer and editor,

s’s work included

social studies textbooks on

Canadian history, 10 historical

5, and contributing to
canadian Enevelopedi

“Both of us had experienc
of how difficult it was to tr
down information about B!
and especially in one place. So
the idea was to put that ibrary
heoveen hard covers.”

ft was alse a way to help
hin “re-acelimatize” himself”
to this province after living in
Ortawa and Montreal for 16
years.

I think I was feoking tor a
BA project to sink my teeth
into,” he “PEdon't know
why T chose such a big one.”

But the hardcover book —
packed with colour phote:
illustrations, and an A-to-Z list-
ing of people, places, plants,
animals, events ‘and ideas
started out small.

“T figured 1 was waiting for
Howard to raise the money and
ave would get other people to
do it,” he said. “But while I was
waiting | started writing entrigs
in ny spare time and the pile
got bigger and bigger until five
vears ago we decided it looked
like we had a book after all.”

Francis began the project by
assembling a group of experts
who formed an advisory board.
Those included Jean Barman,
professor of educational studies
at the University of British
Columbia and, Rowland
Lorimer, director of the centre
for Canadian Studies ac Simon
Fraser University.

He also relied
experts — like North
Vancouver Museum — and
Archives director Robin Inglis,
who wrote entries on Spanish
explorers. In ali, about 300
people contributed to the mak-
ing, Many as volunteers.

An on-line version will soon
be available by subscription.
And Francis » job is not over —
he is using www.knowbe.cont
for updates and omissions.

ic seems the people of
Nanaimo — where, legend has
it, an unknown post-World War
IT homemaker entered her
three-layer oars in a contest and

on local

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named it for her hometown —
were a litte mitted that former
mayor Frank N
the Bathrul Race, was Jeff our.
And broadcaster Red Robinson
and football legend Lui
Passaglia need their recent
retirements noted.

Atter 10 years of travelling,
talking toe experts, reading, and
writing about British
Columbia, Francis isn’t quite
sure how he would characterize

inventor of

s quite the oppo-
site, you find out just AOw var-
ied it is.”

So much variety can hardly
be captured in 4,000 entries,
1,000 photographs and hun-
dreds of maps, all practically
bursting from the shell.

Kind of like the geoduck
{pronounced “gooey-duck”)

Wed. NOV. 22.
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