1130 Bookshelf: Celebrate Vancouver’s birthday with these 10 reads

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Happy 135th Birthday, Vancouver!  (You don’t look a day over 134.)  To mark the occasion, we have combed the 1130 Bookshelf archives for 10 reads about the city we call home.

Here and Gone:  Artwork of Vancouver and Beyond

Someone once told Michael Kluckner, “If you live long enough, you may find that you don’t belong anywhere.” That concept of belonging — or not belonging — informs Here and Gone: Artwork of Vancouver and Beyond, the first collection of paintings and essays from the artist, writer, and heritage advocate in nine years.

Today on @NEWS1130: The #1130bookshelf welcomes artist, writer, and heritage advocate Michael Kluckner, author of "Here and Gone: Artwork of Vancouver and Beyond," his first collection of paintings and essays in nine years. pic.twitter.com/dPvmQ31gdl

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) January 3, 2021

Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History

Eve Lazarus has always been fascinated by old homes and buildings and the stories behind them. Now, this journalist, blogger, and, lately, podcaster is back with a new collection of true stories, many of them about buildings, entitled Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City’s Hidden History.

Today on @NEWS1130: Remembering lost landmarks and the little-known local stories that connect us all. "Murder by Milkshake" author Eve Lazarus returns to #1130bookshelf to talk about her new book, "Vancouver Exposed: Searching for the City's Hidden History," from @Arsenalpulp. pic.twitter.com/tc9BbfUBML

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) October 11, 2020

Legacy of Trees:  Purposeful Wandering Through Vancouver’s Stanley Park

Talk about seeing the forest for the trees. In Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering Through Vancouver’s Stanley Park, author Nina Shoroplova argues the history of its trees is really a history of the park itself.  Part-history and part-field guide, Shoroplova invites readers to take it with them on their own purposeful wanderings.

Today on @NEWS1130: Seeing the forest for the trees with the help of Nina Shoroplova, author of Legacy of Trees: Purposeful Wandering in Vancouver's Stanley Park. Part-history and part-field guide, it's available now from @HHPublishing. #1130bookshelf pic.twitter.com/2rdwAQD3Vq

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) July 5, 2020

Land of Destiny:  A History of Vancouver Real Estate

You know the old saying:  the more things change the more they stay the same.  That can also be said about housing (or the lack thereof) in our region.  Author and historian Jesse Donaldson discovered the history of the city and the history of real estate have been intertwined since the beginning — even before the beginning, really — so he decided to investigate further.

Today on @NEWS1130: Jesse Donaldson joins me on #1130bookshelf to talk about Land of Destiny: A History of Vancouver Real Estate, new from @AnvilPress. "Before Vancouver became a city, it was, first and foremost, a real estate investment. Whether it remain so, is up to us." pic.twitter.com/DrPhkhoswz

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) January 26, 2020

Vancouver After Dark: The Wild History of a City’s Nightlife

In Vancouver After Dark, historian Aaron Chapman goes back to the very beginning of the city’s nightlife.  “This was sort of known as ‘tune-up city’ going back to like when the Marx Brothers used to bring a live show to the Orpheum Theatre,” he explains.

NEWS 1130's @jackermann spoke to Aaron Chapman about his new book, "Vancouver After Dark: The Wild History of a City’s Nightlife."
Today, you can attend the book launch at Central Studios on Seymour Street at 7:00 p.m. https://t.co/fYYcEfwiDU#1130bookself pic.twitter.com/H8dGZ8wIUn

— CityNews Vancouver (@CityNewsVAN) November 28, 2019

Vancouverism

How did the city we know and love become the way it is and what can other places learn from it? That’s the theme of Vancouverism by Larry Beasley, the city’s co-director of planning from 1994 to 2006.

Today on @NEWS1130: I speak with
former planning director @LBeasleyyvr about his new book, #Vancouverism, a comprehensive study of our city as it was, as it is, and as it could be. "It is an undeniable success story," he says. #1130bookshelf @UBCPress pic.twitter.com/1KRXsOgXYK

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) July 14, 2019

Murder By Milkshake: An Astonishing True Story of Adultery, Arsenic, and a Charismatic Killer

It has all the elements of a good detective novel, except it’s 100 per cent true.  Murder by Milkshake is the true story of a Vancouver radio personality who poisons his wife to death so he can marry his mistress.

“I think people are still fascinated with it because it was such a bold crime,” author @EveLazarus explains. My story on her new book “Murder by Milkshake” on @NEWS1130. https://t.co/mu0Yn88aTG #1130bookshelf pic.twitter.com/FkxC1h7W1F

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) November 4, 2018

Last Gang In Town:  The Epic Story of The Vancouver Police vs. The Clark Park Gang

Long before Vancouver was the world-class city we know today, it was a rough and tumble, blue collar type place. That was especially true of East Van. “In the early 1970s, late 60s, there was an issue with street gangs and youth gangs,” explains author Aaron Chapman.  None was more notorious than The Clark Park Gang.

.@TheAaronChapman launches his book The Last Gang in Town at The Biltmore tonight. Hear my @NEWS1130 interview here: https://t.co/Yvq0mUMdyK

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) November 2, 2016

Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug Users Transformed One City’s Struggle with Addiction

In Fighting for Space, Georgia Straight reporter Travis Lupick details how the Downtown Eastside dealt with the overdose crisis of the 1990s and early 2000s. He says it was the arrival of fentanyl in 2014 that inspired him to write the book.

Vancouver's history with addiction detailed in new book Fighting for Space. My story on @NEWS1130. https://t.co/6sjBlZEar2 #DTES

— John Ackermann ???? (@jackermann) November 11, 2017

Vancouver Vanishes: Narratives of Demolition and Revival

Writer and novelist Caroline Adderson started the Facebook group Vancouver Vanishes after noticing character home after character home in her West Side neighbourhood was being knocked down in favour of larger, so-called monster houses.  Thousands of likes later, the group has been transformed into a coffee-table book, full of pictures and essays.

Jam-packed book launch at Book Warehouse on Main for Caroline Adderson's "Vancouver Vanishes" book. #fb #vanpoli pic.twitter.com/qFILrLy1vH

— Adriane Carr (@AdrianeCarr) November 24, 2015

Don’t forget, if you’re an author or publisher who would like to have a non-fiction book featured on 1130 Bookshelf, please email John directly at johnf.ackermann@rci.rogers.com.