Douglas & McIntyre

Blockbusters and trade wars; popular culture in a globalized world.

At the same time that globalization geometrically expands the distribution of books, television programs, and other cultural products, the sources of expression are concentrating in fewer and fewer hands and it becomes harder and harder for small, quirky, independent producers to survive. This is the paradox explored by Canadians Grant, a leading communications lawyer, and Wood, a writer for national radio and print media. They investigate where and how cultural products are created, why they're different from other manufactured goods, and why they must be treated differently. Of interest to anyone who makes, watches, listens to, analyzes, comments on, pays for, regulates, reviews, or participates in popular culture. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

David Milne watercolours; "painting towards the light".

Published to accompany a travelling exhibition to the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Art Gallery of Ontario in 2005-2006, this substantial, oversize (9.75x11.25 inches) catalogue contains full-page color plates of this remarkable Canadian's watercolors. Seven essays on his work, life, and influences at different stages of his life accompany the plates, written by six authors who are art historians and curators in Canada and the U.S. Co-published with the Art Gallery of Ontario. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Growing pains; the autobiography of Emily Carr. (reprint, 1946)

Originally published in 1946 by Oxford University Press, this is the fifth of the seven books by renowned Canadian artist Emily Carr (1871-1945) to be published by Douglas & McIntyre in a completely redesigned edition. The text describes Carr's life, from her childhood to her seventies, and focuses on her emergence as a fierce individual and a modern artist. Carr's words are supplemented by an introduction by Canadian art critic Robin Laurence. No subject index. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

The heart of a peacock.

In these 51 short stories, first published as a collection in 1953, Carr works through some of her favorite subjects, including her experiences with Native people at the turn of the twentieth century, her love for animals and birds, and the life of her mercurial monkey, Woo. Carr's economy of worlds and the deceptive simplicity of her structures reveal her depths carefully, expressing emotions that linger just as effortlessly as they appear to have been set to the page. Carr's biographer and literary agent provide introductions, and Carr herself contributes line drawings from nature. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Opium, a portrait of the heavenly demon.

Hodgson strips away much of the mystery and most of the glamour from one of the world's oldest recreational pharmaceuticals in this generously illustrated small volume. She describes the opium poppy, its properties and processing, and how it was first used as an element of religious ceremonies in locations where it grew naturally. She examines how Europeans attempted to control opium, not to inhibit trade, but to increase profit. She describes the usage and addictions of artists and writers, including Doyle, Twain, Wilde, Green and Cocteau. She also shows how opium made Chinatowns lurid, according to the popular press, and how opium worked its way into the scenarios of B-films and pulp fiction. Hodgson's matter-of-fact reportage includes honest assessments of why opium was touted as a wonder drug and how it was used as a substitute for creative talent. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Souvenir of Canada 2.

In this quirky photoessay by a Vancouver artist getting in touch with his Canadian identity, Coupland examines new images of "the sleepy little Dominion." He intersperses art that he created specifically for this sequel to the first Souvenir book (2002) with family mythology and philosophical/humorous riffs on customs, institutions, and landscapes unique to Canada. A two- headed goose graces the cover. Eh? (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)