Book Launch Tour Underway!
Readers’ thoughts:
Randy Klassen is an expert at zooming out to give you the bigger picture, then diving in to tell the stories of the people that have shaped this province; and how the shape of the province transformed its people. It has me searching for hotels and campsites to go see canyons, trails, rivers, and mountains with new eyes. – Michael Palmer
I came away with a new-found appreciation for how the human geography and landscape of the province were formed. But, more importantly, the book also challenged some of my assumptions about how British Columbia came to be, giving me a different perspective on the province I call home and the history that shaped it. – Katie Land
As Klassen took me on the exploration of his own views and misconceptions of BC’s history, and the Indigenous Peoples’ involvement in it, I was challenged to reflect on the dominant narrative that I too have often unwittingly accepted. An excellent read that raises more questions for reflection than it answers! – Murray Wall
A fur trader’s map to gold, a trail of cataclysmic change, and BC’s escape from American annexation.
In the year British Columbia stood on the brink of falling to the Americans, a fur trader’s map to BC’s gold was published in San Francisco with a glaring omission. Pulling from explorers’ narratives, fort journals, and over 7,000 kilometres of travel, Klassen weaves a narrative of ambassadors and alliances, fat fish and furs, and revenge and reconciliation on unexpected trails in long-forgotten Oregon Country. From these stories an alternate history emerges of Indigenous Peoples graciously hosting the first European traders, leading their fur brigades on ancient trading routes, and integrating them into their diverse and dynamic world—both economically and relationally.
A personal encounter with mazelike geography and untold history, The Mapmaker’s Omission reveals what vanished in cataclysm when today’s Pacific Northwest was charted. It also shows that real gold is mined when we dig down to, and challenge, our foundational beliefs.
If you’ve ever wondered about the genesis of the First Nations unceded land claims in BC or been curious about how a chunk of Canada got wedged between the states of Washington and Alaska, read this book. They are one and the same story.
Accredited Endorsements
“I deeply appreciate the respect and care The Mapmaker’s Omission shows toward Indigenous Peoples, both historically and today. Having grown up in a time when real Canadian history was rarely taught—a time when Indigenous people often didn’t learn their own history—Klassen’s phenomenal ability to make meaningful connections between landscapes and Indigenous identity, along with his thoughtful acknowledgments of our resilience, knowledge, and expertise in navigating our worlds, are genuinely refreshing. By giving credit where it is due, Klassen presents the significant contributions made by the region’s ancestral Peoples to the building of the Pacific Northwest in a most gratifying way.”
- Laura Leask, Muskiki Achakos Iskwew (Medicine Star Woman). Founder and Executive Director of Oskâpêwis Gladue Services
“The Mapmaker’s Omission offers a unique and compelling account of first contact in the fur trade era of the Pacific Northwest. Focusing on how the daunting physical landscape dictated First Nations trade routes, Klassen details the fascinating interactions of the Nor’Westers, Baymen, and their Indigenous hosts—demonstrating how the foreign guests on the land suddenly laid claim to it when the traders’ economy was swept aside by the 1858 Gold Rush.”
- George M. Abbott, PhD and BC Treaty Chief Commissioner. Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why it Matters Now
“A creative exploration of stories spun from an old map about trails breaking through massive mountain ranges and canoes plunging down ferocious rivers to the sea: routes that might have become the successful gateways to the Interior but often did not. I enjoyed Klassen’s step-by-step journey to capture a vision of British Columbia history older than the more obvious Gold Rush. It made me eager to begin a new exploration of my own.”
- Nancy Marguerite Anderson, great-granddaughter of Alexander and Betsy Anderson. The HBC Brigades, The York Factory Express, and The Pathfinder: A.C. Anderson's Journeys in the West
“Klassen—an experienced trail runner and ultramarathoner—approaches history not just through records or maps but by traversing the land in the footsteps of early white explorers and their Indigenous hosts. Perch on his shoulder as he explores rarely told stories set in the breathtaking landscapes of his eponymous mapmaker’s time.”
- Craig E. Jones, Professor of Law, Thompson Rivers University. People of the White Wolf: Okanagan Grand Chief N’Kwala and the Interior Salish Alliance
Events & Media
Upcoming Book Promotions
Saturday, October 10
Book signing at Armchair Books. Whistler.
11am to 3pm.
Saturday, October 24
Book signing at Tomes & Tales. Pitt Meadows.
12pm to 4pm.
Tuesday, November 3
Presentation at the Squamish Public Library.
6:30pm to 8:30pm.
It’s the night of the US midterm elections and the topic is appropriate: In the mid-1800s, BC narrowly escaped American annexation, not once, but twice. Join local author Randy Klassen for a timely and thought-provoking evening of seldom-told stories about the genesis of today's Pacific Northwest. Learn about who really led and who followed on ancient trails of grease, fur, gold, and war. Be prepared to have your foundational beliefs about BC's history challenged.
Saturday, November 14
Book signing at Gather Bookshop. Squamish.
11am to 2pm.
Sunday, November 29
Book signing at Sea to Sky Gondola, upper lodge. Squamish.
11am to 3pm.
Where to buy
I love my local booksellers! In the Sea to Sky Corridor, PJR and TMO are stocked at:
Gather Bookshop in Squamish
Armchair Books in Whistler
In the Lower Mainland you’ll find them in Pitt Meadows at Tomes & Tales
My books are available globally on AMAZON in print and e-Book formats.
My audio version of PJR is also available on Audible. (I will be recording TMO in 2027.)
If you love your local bookshop, they can order PJR & TMO for you from IngramSpark. This distributor supplies my books to major resellers, independent bookstores, and libraries. Get your bookseller to look my books up on their computer and put a few copies on their shelves!!!! Please!
Click here to check out my randykwriter Substack newsletter. A fun way to follow my writing projects focused on challenging our foundational beliefs. I keep it short and sweet—and hopefully entertaining!