Beyond Hope: An Illustrated History of the Fraser and Cariboo Gold Rush

by Beverley Boissery

Gold. With that one little word and its promise of fabulous wealth, people from all parts of the world came to British Columbia in the 1850s and 1860s. Most were ill equipped for the difficult terrain, the icy water, and the inhospitable climate. Some found the motherlode. Others settled for becoming rich merchants. Most became impoverished, and a large number lost their lives. With new roads and new settlers, the gold rush helped build Canada's West. This pictorial history tells the stories of the Fraser and Cariboo gold rush and of the lives involved in that tumultuous but decisive event in Canadian history.

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

A native Australian, Dr. Beverley Boissery knows the writing world from many angles – editor, teacher, publisher, scholar and author. Mostly, though, she is a writer of 11 books ranging from academic history to young adult fiction. In 2006 she was awarded the Surrey International Writers Conference Chamber of Commerce Award for Special Achievement.

Her young adult Sophie series published by the Dundurn Group's Boardwalk imprint is based on the 1838 Lower Canadian rebellion and marries her love of fiction with history. Sophie's Rebellion won a national award in 2006 and the second book, Sophie's Treason was selected as an "Our Choice" by the Canadian Children's Book Centre. In April 2007, Bev received a Canada Council Award for Literature.

A third Sophie book, Sophie's Exile, will be published in the Spring of 2008 by Boardwalk. She is also completing an historical fantasy (The Convict's Thumbprint) and working on another young adult trilogy (The Three Jays) which deals with the history and effects of World War II's holocaust.

Bev has also been a scholar-in-residence at Regent College and U.B.C. She lives in Vancouver with her quiet cat and enjoys the company of her many rambunctious friends.