In 1842, when famed world explorer James Douglas first encountered the rugged natural paradise that would become Vancouver Island, he described it as "A perfect Eden." He was just one among many European explorers to experience the intense beauty of the Pacific Northwest, most of whom have left fascinating accounts of their encounters with the terrain and the peoples they found, their exploration and settlement of the land there. Interspersed with maps, illustrations, paintings, and photographs, these first-hand accounts create a captivating tale of discovery and exploration. Starting from before the first known European arrivals, the stories feature Spanish and British naval officers, traders seeking sea otter pelts, colonial surveyors, "Indian" chiefs, soldiers, settlers and adventurers, and end in 1858, when Douglas, by then Sir James, retired as governor of the two colonies -- Vancouver Island and British Columbia. The companion book to Michael Layland's prizewinning The Land of Heart's Delight: Early Maps and Charts of Vancouver Island, which traces the cartographic history of this remarkable region, A Perfect Eden paints a vivid picture of what the explorers saw, the people they met, the hazards they faced, and some mysteries, as yet unsolved.

About the Author
Michael Layland was born and educated in England and trained as an officer and map-maker in the Royal Engineers. He serves as the current president of the Friends of the BC Archives, is a former president of the Victoria Historical Society, and is on the committee of the Historical Map Society of BC. He is also a member of the Society for the History of Discoveries and the International Map Collectors' Society. His articles on explorers and exploration history have appeared in international encyclopedias, including eight entries in the two-volume The Oxford Companion to World Exploration. He also reviews books for British Columbia History magazine. Michael has lived in British Columbia for some 30 years, for the last 20 in Victoria. A Perfect Eden is a companion to his first book, The Land of Heart's Delight: Early Maps and Charts of Vancouver Island.

Reviews
"A well-organized, well-written guide to first contact [between European explorers and First Nations in BC]." -Vancouver Sun "This book is informative and highly readable, and no matter how much you have read about exploration of [Vancouver] Island, you will surely learn from this book as well." -Dave Obee, Times Colonist "Layland is the perfect guide. He has read everything about Vancouver Island from 1774 to 1862, and delivers the choicest morsels from hundreds of log books and diaries. He introduces us, in pictures and stories, to the people whose names we live with every day . . . and takes us with them as they charted these waters and measured the land . . . This book is my top pick." -Robert Amos, Times Colonist



Book Information
ISBN 9781771511773
Author Michael Layland
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint TouchWood Editions
Publisher TouchWood Editions