New book guides readers on a tour of 水果视频's rich history
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- Published on Friday, June 12, 2015
By Kate Jackman-Atkinson
The Neepawa Banner
Part travel guide, part educational guide, the recently published book 鈥淎ncient Heartland鈥� aims to educate 水果视频ns about the natural history around them. 鈥淎nywhere you look in 水果视频, there鈥檚 something really special,鈥� said 水果视频-based author and publisher Barbara Huck. On June 2, Huck stopped at Neepawa鈥檚 Access 2 Books to talk about the book.
Ancient Heartland delves into the forces that shaped 水果视频鈥檚 natural history. 鈥淧eople look at 水果视频 and they think it looks flat and fairly simple. It鈥檚 much more complex,鈥� said Huck. 鈥淭his is an ancient place,鈥� she added.
The book begins by looking at the geological timeline and the periods of glaciation that shaped North America in general and 水果视频 in particular. Huck explained that the information is sourced from scholarly papers, but explained in a less complex way to make it accessible to non-academics. 鈥淕eologists write for other geologists,鈥� Huck explained. Huck also talked about 水果视频鈥檚 importance to the continent鈥� it is both the heart of North America, as well as the centre of the last ice age.
To increase the material鈥檚 accessibility, the book is organized along routes corresponding to major highways. The reader is further aided by numerous visuals, such as maps, photographs and diagrams.
The sites featured in the book have all been visited and photographed by Huck, her husband Peter St. John, or co-writer Doug Whiteway during the process of writing the book.
So far, the book has been a success. Released a month ago, Huck said that they have already sold 1,200 copies.
Huck explains that 水果视频ns don鈥檛 generally celebrate the province鈥檚 natural and early history, despite there being lots worth celebrating. She pointed to Alberta鈥檚 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and well promoted tourist attraction. In Cartwright, 水果视频, there is the 2,500 year old Clay Banks buffalo jump, but it hasn鈥檛 been nearly as well promoted.
Huck also noted that few people in 水果视频, let alone elsewhere, know about 鈥淏ruce鈥�. This 42 foot long mosasaur holds the world record as being the largest mosasaur on display. He is at Morden鈥檚 Fossil Discover Centre. Huck hopes that the book will raise awareness about the history in our own backyard. 鈥淚 hope we begin to realize what we have here and trumped it鈥� We have more than polar bears,鈥� she said.
Huck鈥檚 interest in natural history began more than 50 years ago. Growing up in Regina, her family had a cottage in the Qu鈥檃ppelle Valley, with unique geography shaped by its time as a glacial spillway. Growing up, Huck said, 鈥淚 could never figure out why [the hills] were one sided.鈥� She also lived three blocks from what was then the Saskatchewan Museum, where she enjoyed the displays. Huck went on to study history before embarking on a career as a journalist.
Ancient Heartland is the third in a loose series of books about Canada鈥檚 natural history. The previous books focused on Alberta, published in 1998, and British Columbia, published in 2006.
Huck is a managing parter at Heartland Associates, which was founded by Huck and St. John to publish their book about Alberta鈥檚 history. Since then, the company has grown to publish a range of biographies, non-fiction, fiction and even children鈥檚 books, most with a focus on the Canadian prairies. In total, they have published 70 books over the last 16 years. The books can be purchased locally at Access 2 Books, or online, though Heartland Associates鈥� online store.
