The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver

by Chuck Davis

In his ambitious magnum opus, "The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver," author Chuck Davis embraced 125 years of material, with the signature exuberance and talent for storytelling that made him one of Vancouver's most successful and beloved journalists and broadcasters. This volume represents the culmination of his life as a folk historian, someone who was obsessed and delighted by all things Vancouver, and of his immense contribution to historical knowledge of the city of Vancouver. It was nearly realized, but not quite completed before his death in November, 2010.
Harbour Publishing worked with Davis on "The Chuck Davis History of Metropolitan Vancouver" for five years, and has collaborated with the Vancouver Historical Society to complete the volume in 2011 to mark the city's 125th anniversary, as was the author's plan. Arranged chronologically, and illustrated with a trove of archival photographs, this volume includes influential characters both famous, like White Spot founder Nat Bailey, and nearly-forgotten, like Sara Anne McLagan, the first female publisher of a daily newspaper in Canada, plus many tales of eccentric locals and celebrity visitors. Here too are Vancouver's unforgettable and formative events, from the tragic collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge to the city's first rock 'n' roll concert ("the ultimate in musical depravity").
The story of how Vancouver grew from a ramshackle tumble of stumps, brush and crude wooden buildings to today's urban metropolis turns out to be interesting, complicated, frequently rancorous and occasionally even funny. And the book is, as the author hoped, "fun, fat and filled with facts."

Genres: History

592 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Yuri Artibise · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing look at Vancouver's history. Chuck had a knack for making history not only accessible, but interesting and even addictive. A definite must read for anybody interested in our city!

[TQPS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid! I learned actually so much and found that despite the formatting, it was pretty easy to follow the general thread of history and remember a lot of names. I appreciate some of the sillier tidbits being included, definitely brought joy to my life and my friends lives during the overly long period where I had this book in my house. Bear on the ferry I will never forget you. I wish it would have gone into more detail on certain things, as it only presented the barest level of information on topics like the riots and disenfranchisement, which I wanted to understand in more detail. But I get that such a huge project had to be limited in scope in a lot of ways to exist. I guess that’s what other books are for.
Really looking forward to finding more information on how the landscape changed, city design choices and such, especially after learning more about false creek this last month.

Anyway. I recommend it as an initial look at the big picture changes in Vancouver post-colonization. Informative and engaging. Nat Bailey never goes away.

[Louis G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book back to front several
Times- it is a perfect insight into Vancouver’s past with detailed yet brief events, and rare photographs that truly give a chronological history. It is interesting watching the illustrations transform from hand drawn/digital renderings to early photographs, then to newer, etc.

[Daniel C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

One-line review:

Exactly as advertised -- "fun, fat, and full of facts"

[Patricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and very detailed. Not a book to actually "read".