The historian and author Dr. John Belshaw discusses the new collection he’s edited, Vancouver Confidential (Anvil Press, 2014), with Joseph Planta.

Vancouver Confidential edited by John Belshaw (Anvil Press, 2014). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: Vancouver Confidential

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

A terrific new collection of historical essays has been out for a while now, Vancouver Confidential. It’s terribly engaging and covers a great deal. Its editor, John Belshaw joins me now to talk about this volume looking at the underbelly of Vancouver, this port city that was a hotbed of crime, corruption and sex throughout the 20th century. The book covers the years of Vancouver up to the middle part of the century. The team assembled are some of the best and brightest historians on Vancouver. Dan Francis, who was on recently, called them the ‘Belshaw Group,’ a disparate group of enthusiasts on Vancouver’s history, doing tremendous work online and elsewhere to remember and contextualise the past. Essay contributors include: Tom Carter, whose painting of Hastings and Main serves as the book’s cover, Aaron Chapman, Jesse Donaldson, James Johnstone, Lani Russwurm, Eve Lazarus, Catherine Rose, Rosanne Sia, Jason Vanderhill, Stevie Wilson, Will Woods, Terry Watada, and Diane Purvey, with whom Dr. Belshaw wrote Vancouver Noir: 1930-1960. Vancouver Confidential is published by Anvil Press. John Belshaw is a historian, writer, consultant, professor, and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. I’ll get him to tell us what’s in this book and more. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in studio as it were, John Belshaw; Dr. Belshaw, good morning.

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