Bill Proctor worked in the House of Commons for thirty-six years at the latter end of the last century. He served in various procedural offices, and as clerk of the committees on Science & Technology, Transport, Foreign Affairs, and the Treasury, as well as secretary of the House of Commons Commission. He wrote the 1978 report of the Procedure Committee, rightly described by the Guardian as an agenda for the rest of the century, which became the blueprint for changes which transformed the ...

Billy Proctor, resident legend of Echo Bay, BC, recounts almost a century’s worth of experience with this collection of stories, memories and local knowledge of the central BC coast region around Blackfish Sound. Situated in the beautiful Broughton Archipelago between northern Vancouver Island and the mainland coast, this region boasts a history and culture as engaging as its stunning locale—and nobody tells its story quite like Proctor.A lifelong fisherman, trapper, logger and, in...

Big adventures on the high seas—from one of the greatest seafaring writers of our ageHal Roth’s vivid, authentic tales of the sea have riveted readers around the world for forty years. Here, in one volume, are three of his classic sea stories, each one a white-knuckled, rail-down voyage into the unknown.A hard-working San Francisco husband and wife abandon their jobs, their security, and, some would say, their sanity to sail their 35-foot sloop to Japan and...

Historical fact and fiction blend in this riveting novel set aboard the Titanic.Fourteen-year-old Jamie Laidlaw is returning to Canada from England aboard the Titanic. In his four days on board, he busies himself with new friends, finding ways to explore the ship's forbidden areas, and generally landing himself in trouble.When disaster strikes and the horrifying scramble for survival ensues, Jamie is on the front lines — struggling to help...

A “warm, energetic memoir” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) and an impassioned study of the profound connection between humans and whales, from an award-winning marine researcher“[Morton’s] descriptions of [the whales’] lives and their haunting underwater communications are so vivid that they will remain with you long after you have read the last eloquent page.”—JANE GOODALLONE OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR’S...

A fabulous treasure lies buried deep within an island on Canadas East Coast. Or so they say. For more than 200 years, treasure-hunters have come to Oak Island, spent fortunes, worked long and hard, and left empty-handed.When Bob Restall and his family got their chance to search for treasure on Oak Island, they believed they soon would succeed where others had failed. But the island resisted. For nearly six years the Restalls lived and laboured on Oak Island, spurred on by small suc...

Billy Proctor has spent his life doing the time-honoured work of generations of upcoast men-handlogging, fishing, clam digging, repairing boats, beachcombing. Then Billy began to see that the coast he loved was dying around him. The thriving runs of Pacific salmon, oolichans and herring that he could remember from his early years were vanishing-some to near extinction-and he understood that it was time to give something back. Heart of the Raincoast is the story of Billy Proctor's life, and...

A rollicking, award-winning travel memoir that details a hilarious six years aboard the sloop, Cabaret, as the author manages to stay afloat for 25,000 miles of fun and adventure from Alaska to the South Pacific. A terrific read for sailors or those who love adventure stories and sea yarns. If you're planning to go to sea, this book is a MUST! Audacious and bold!

A captivating memoir set during the pinnacle of West Coast fishingMore than a history of the Vancouver fishing industry, Bluebacks and Silver Brights is a collection of great adventures set on the Pacific coast. With dozens of salty tales of hardworking and hard-living fisherman and fish industry workers, this is Norman Safarik's story of West Coast fishing from the Gulf of Georgia to Prince Rupert, with a detour to New York's old-time fish markets. With w...

In a tale remarkable for its quiet confidence and acute natural observation, the author of Paddling Hawaii begins with her decision, at age 60, to undertake a solo, summer-long voyage along the southeast coast of Alaska in an inflatable kayak. Paddling North is a compilation of Sutherland’s first two (of over 20) such annual trips and her day-by-day travels through the Inside Passage from Ketchikan to Skagway. With illustrations and the author’s recipes.

Brilliant, witty, perceptive essays about fly-fishing, the natural world, and life in general by the acknowledged master of fishing writers.“Once an angler has become serious about the sport (and ‘serious’ is the word that’s used), he’ll never again have enough tackle or enough time to use it. And his nonangling friends and family may never again entirely recognize him, either.” In other words, he (or she) will have entered Gierach territory. And fishermen who choo...

SEIZE THE DAY before it's too late. There's a wonderful world out there to explore.A stunning account of seven years on the seven seas, the first lap of Peter and Shirley's 65,000 miles sail around the world in their 35' ketch CLYPEUS. A car accident jolted them into rethinking their lives. The children had left home, Shirley's parents lived in Australia, why not take a three year gap and sail away to see them. It took three years to prepare, sell their house, cars and Folkboat.