Alan Twigg has here recovered the amazing story of how George and Ingeborg while travelling in northern India in 1961 encountered many of the Tibetan refugees who had fled over the mountain passes. Appalled by the condition of the children, huddled together with inadequate bedding, surviving on a diet of thin soup and momos, steamed dumplings of mixed wheat and corn flour, they expressed their desire to help. "You must absolutely come and see uncle," said a young girl. This was Khando Yapshi, the Dalai Lama's niece. Among the first Westerners to meet with the Dalai Lama, the Woodcocks vowed to provide humanitarian assistance. This was was the genesis for the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society (TRAS), one of two remarkable non-profit charities spearheaded by the Woodcocks. Since 1962, TRAS has raised over $500,000 and has undertaken 300 projects. Both of the Woodcocks' volunteer-based low-overhead organizations are still going strong today.

From Franz Boas to Alice Munro: welcome to an unprecedented panorama of the most significant authors and books of British Columbia culled from Alan Twigg's unrivalled knowledge of more than two centuries of B.C. literary history. The Essentials is the new bible of who wrote what, and why, in B.C., produced with the cooperation of Simon Fraser University Library and UBC's Rare Books & Special Collections. Alan Twigg, publisher/writer of B.C. BookWorld, also created the abcbookworld public reference site with information on more than 9,500 B.C. authors. The Essentials is the fourth and largest volume of his Literary History of British Columbia.

Following the success of First Invaders, Alan Twigg turns his attention to First Nations writers, unearthing more than 300 books by more than 170 mostly unheralded aboriginal authors. Taking the reader from residential schools to art galleries, this lively and unprecedented panorama of British Columbia includes trailblazer Pauline Johnson, political organizer George Manuel, Haida carver Bill Reid, indigenous rights activist Jeannette Armstrong, pioneering novelist Mourning Dove, actor Chief Dan George, painters George Clutesi and Norval Morrisseau (living in Nanaimo), politician Len Marchand, playwright Marie Clements and Haisla novelist Eden Robinson. Equally important, Aboriginality sheds new light on fascinating, lesser-known figures such as Chief William Sepass, Howard Adams, Domanic Charlie, Earl Maquinna George, George Hunt, Chief Charlie Nowell, Henry Pennier, Harry Robinson, Gordon Robinson (Eden Robinson's uncle), James Sewid and Michael Nicoll Yagulanaas-to name only a few. Nearly half the author profiles are women, including Marilyn Dumont, Lizette Hall, Heather Harris, Beverly Hungry Wolf, Mary John, Vera Manuel, Lee Maracle, Gloria Nahanee, Daphne Odjig, Bernadette Rosetti, Shirley Sterling, Gloria Cranmer Webster, Ellen White, Annabel Cropped Eared Wolf and Annie Zetco York. Each author is presented in historical and chronological context, along with background material on aboriginal history, as well as rare photos, illustrations and a comprehensive bibliography.