Biography, Autobiography, True Stories from Vancouver Bookseller

This is a first edition of The Prince of Pleasure and His Regency 1811-20, a biography of Britain's Prince of Wales/Prince Regent/King George IV (1762-1830). It was written by the English novelist and playwright J.B. Priestly and published in 1969. Priestly does a terrific job of capturing the atmosphere of the Regency, one of the most romantic… Read more

This is a first edition, first printing, of Vets Might Fly, the fifth of eight books written by the Scottish veterinarian James Herriot (1916-1995). Herriot famously chronicled his life as a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales and his books became the movie and two tv series All Creatures Great and Small. This copy is in superb… Read more

General Sir David Fraser had two careers: as a distinguished British soldier and as a leading military biographer. His childhood was passed in grand houses in London and Scotland, but he was the son of anything but conventional parents, who Fraser sketches out in this book in all their bizarre and entertaining individuality. He then… Read more

This is a first edition of Nelson, written in 1974 by the British journalist and one-time Minister of Defence Roy Hattersley. It is part of Lord Chalfont's Great Commanders series, published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson, then in the US by the Saturday Review Press. It is the story of Lord Horatio Nelson, one of the … Read more

This is a stated first edition (2000) of Pacific Destiny: The Three-Century Journey to the Oregon Country, written by the American writer Dale L Walker (1935-2015). The book chronicles the discovery, exploration, and settlement of America's Pacific Northwest, the area that was known in the first half of the nineteenth century as 'Oregon Country'. It tells the story… Read more

This is a first edition of The Victoria Cross at Sea, a series of short biographies of 124 men who won the highest military honor for valor. Winton shows that anyone could win the VC; background and social status meant nothing. All they had in common was extreme gallantry and devotion to duty in the presence… Read more

This is an unread copy of The Pre-Raphaelites and Their World, published by The Folio Society in 1995. It has not been opened until now. It was written by the English critic William Michael Rossetti (1829-1919), a member of the famed Rossetti family, and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. He writes about his… Read more

This is a near-perfect copy of the first US abridged edition (1978), and the second printing overall, of Lady Antonia Fraser's renowned biography Mary Queen of Scots. Mary remains one of the most romantic and fascinating figures in British history and this book tells her story perfectly. Mary became Queen of France at age 16, then was widowed and returned… Read more

This is a first edition of the illustrated biography of the famed British writer and journalist Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936). It was simultaneously published in 1974 by Hamlyn (UK), Viking (US) and MacMillan (Canada). This is one of the Viking copies. It was written by the English academic and broadcaster Martin Fido (1939-2019). It goes right through his life and… Read more

This is a first edition of Tutankhamen: Life and Death of a Pharaoh, a superb book written by the famed French archaeologist and Egyptologist Christiane Desroches Noblecourt (1913-2011), who is best known for this book, and for saving the Nubian Temples from being flooded out by the Aswam Dam construction. It is of interest if you're into golf… Read more

This is a first edition (UK) of Virginia Woolf, the seminal biography by James Kingof the great English writer. Virginia Woolf was one of the foremost writers of the 20th century, yet this biography is the first to fully explore the relationship between her troubled life and her novels, essays, book reviews, letters, and diaries. It's 700 pages,… Read more

This is an unread copy of The New Morningside Papers, the second volume of letters, opinion and stories by the famed Canadian journalist and broadcaster Peter Gzowski (1934-2002). Gzowski hosted various shows on CBC Radio for 30 years; his pieces are funny, sad, entertaining and informative. I say that this is a first edition because I… Read more

This is a first edition (1966) of I, The King, a best-selling work of non-fiction by the American writer Frances Parkinson Keyes (1885-1970). It tells the story of the Philip IV of Spain (1605-1665), an accomplished and talented man who gave us the Golden Age of Spanish culture--and then was blamed for the decline of … Read more

This is a first edition (1991) of Seton Gordon: The Life and Times of a Highland Gentleman, by the Canadian author Raymond Eagle. (It's an actual first edition: the American editions dated 1992 also state first editions.) Seton Gordon CBE (1886-1977) was a Scottish naturalist, photographer and folklorist. He is famous for his 31 books on the… Read more

This is a rare first edition of Salt of the Sea, The Pacific Coast Cod Fishery and the Last Days of Sail. It was written by the American Master and fishing business owner Captain Ed Shields and published in 2001. Shields tells the comprehensive history of the North Pacific codfish industry, shedding light on the lives of the men… Read more

This is a first edition (UK) of Learning the Ropes, An Apprentice in the Last of the Windjammers, written by Eric Newby and published in 1999. In 1938, Newby signed on as an apprentice on the Finnish four-masted barque Moshulu for a 'round-the-world' voyage transiting between Europe and Australia. It was the toughest imaginable introduction to… Read more

When the Going Was Good is a selection of travel writing by the English authorEvelyn Waugh (1903-1966). Waugh did a lot of travel writing--enough to fill four books. But he wasn't happy with most of it and, in 1946, pulled the best bits from the four books and published this book. It was a best-seller and… Read more

This is a first edition, first printing, of the best-selling book The Greatest Generation, written in 1998 by the American journalist Tom Brokaw. Brokaw brings to life the extraordinary stories of a generation that gave new meaning to courage, sacrifice, and honor. From military heroes to community leaders to ordinary citizens, he profiles men and women who … Read more

This is a first edition of Every Living Thing, by the Scottish veterinarian James Herriot (1916-1995). Herriot famously chronicled his life as a veterinary surgeon in the Yorkshire Dales and his books became the movie and two tv series All Creatures Great and Small. There were eight books in the series; this is the last, published in… Read more

This is a stated first edition (2005) of The Pirates Laffite, The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf, the story of the two brothers who ran a notorious privateering cooperative in New Orleans from 1803-1823. Labeled as corsairs and buccaneers for methods that bordered on piracy, the brothers imported contraband goods and made life hell for… Read more