Vancouver: A Visual History

by Bruce Macdonald

Absolutely unique in its presentational style, Vancouver: A Visual History is a delightful and important book. This stunning, full-colour historical atlas brings to life Vancouver’s first fourteen decades, beginning with a map of the 1850s depicting the land use, economy and settlement patterns of its first peoples, and ending with a map of the 1980s.

Using a repeating grid format, in which each ten-year period of the city’s history is examined through the application of the same criteria, each decade is introduced by a full-colour map that illustrates land use patterns. A column of text to the left of this map describes the major land use changes that have occurred since the previous decade; to the right of the map are notes that provide related details of the city’s evolving history. Following each double-page map, the reader is introduced to the prominent personalities of the decade, in the area of sports, politics, business, labour, culture and community service, as well as given an overview of each period’s economic focus, settlement patterns, political directions and key historical events.

96 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Tom Bomhof · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. It tells the history of Vancouver. Wish there was more about Woodward's Stores in it. I like how it traces the changes in religious demographics. Rates a 3 since it's already somewhat outdated.

[Micronaut (x,y,t) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important book. Would be pleased to see an update with the ensuing three decades. There have been some seismic land-use changes, which are apparent to even a more recent no fun city resident such as myself. With around a million people added to metro Vancouver alone since the publishing date, shall we call the city's current predicament growing pains, or symptomatic of a larger systemic problem?

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb historical atlas demonstrating Vancouver’s economic, political, and geological history. Development maps were laid out clearly by decade and I loved reading about the origins of neighbourhood landmarks that I pass by every day. I was absolutely transfixed and read the whole thing in one day!