Historical Atlas of Vancouver and the Lower Fraser Valley

Ann Turner is the financial and budget manager of the University of
British Columbia Library.

The 374 maps meticulously reproduced in full colour in this beautifully
designed atlas span more than 200 years, from the hand-drawn charts of
the earliest European explorers and surveyors to a multi-layered map of
downtown Vancouver streets and waterlines printed out from the City’s
computer-based Geographic Information System VanMap program in 2004.
Along with more than 140 archival photographs, newspaper advertisements,
and other images, they are set within a historical narrative that tells
Vancouver’s story with clarity, humour, and a wealth of detail.

An intriguing feature of this atlas is that its maps show not only how
the city and its environs once were, but also how they might have been.
A number of the maps were produced by planners, developers, and
promoters of real estate and tourism who were illustrating proposals
that never materialized or that turned out differently than expected.

This volume is the sixth historical atlas that Derek Hayes has produced
and, like its acclaimed and award-winning predecessors, it is superb. By
collecting and preserving the images of all these maps, placing each in
its historical context, and making them available for research and
enjoyment, he has made an outstanding contribution to Vancouver’s
historical record.