Compiled by David Mattison
During his career as a B.C. civil servant, R.E. Gosnell was a prolific author. His most enduring works are the Year Book of British Columbia (1897-1914) and his History of British Columbia (1906).
For a brief biography of R.E. Gosnell, provided by the B.C. Legislative Library Web site via The Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive, please click here.
Various editions of the Year Book.
Readers are encouraged to consult the bibliography of hardcopy books, articles and Web sites about Gosnell and British Columbia for further information about the province's history and one of its earliest historians.
- The Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions (CIHM) microfilmed the 1897 edition in 1982 (CIHM Microfiche Series no. 29006).
- The University of British Columbia microfilmed their copies of the Year Book in 1992 (call number: AW1 .R7530).
- Gosnell, R.E. The Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information, To Which Is Added a Chapter Containing Much Special Information Respecting the Canadian Yukon and Northern Territory Generally. Victoria, B.C.: [R.E. Gosnell], 1897. 500 p.
Available on microfiche: Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions, Microfiche Series no. 29006. Available online: Our Roots (http://www.ourroots.ca).
- Gosnell, R.E. The Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information, To Which Is Added a Chapter Containing Much Special Information Respecting the Canadian Yukon and Northern Territory Generally. Victoria, B.C.: [Government of British Columbia], 1897 [i.e., 1901]. 406 p.
Cover stamped "1897 to 1901".
This is the edition of the book which served as the source for The Digital Year Book of British Columbia, 1901-2001. Although the table of contents is identical to the 1897 edition, the 1901 edition does not include the Yukon Territory section. According to an "Announcement" on page 399, unsold copies of the 1897 edition were purchased by the provincial government, and new text, including an Addenda, replaced that of the 1897 edition from page 294 onwards.
- Gosnell, R.E. The Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information. Victoria, B.C.: The Government of the Province of British Columbia, 1903. 394 p.
An errata sheet indicates no complete edition would be published in 1904.
- Gosnell, R.E. The Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information. Coronation edition. Victoria, B.C.: Published by Authority Legislative Assembly, British Columbia, 1911. 358 p.
This edition was published to commemorate the coronation of King George V.
- Gosnell, R.E. The Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information. Coronation edition. Victoria, B.C.: Published by Authority Legislative Assembly, British Columbia, 1911 [i.e., 1914]. 406 p.
Cover stamped "1911/1914". The Addenda states that unbound copies of the 1911 edition were updated with statistics for 1911 to 1913, along with new text and illustrations.
- Gosnell, R.E. Compiled from the Year Book of British Columbia and Manual of Provincial Information, To Which Is Added a Chapter Containing Much Special Information Respecting the Canadian Yukon and Northern Territory Generally. Victoria, B.C.: [R.E. Gosnell], 1897. 285 p.
Cover title: The Year Book of British Columbia Compendium. This is a condensed
version of the 1897 Year Book. Available on microfiche: Canadian
Institute for Historical Microreproductions, Microfiche Series no. 43121. Available online: Our Roots (http://www.ourroots.ca).
Articles About Gosnell
- Eastwood, Terry. "R.E. Gosnell, E.O.S. Scholefield and the Founding of the Provincial Archives of British Columbia, 1894-1919".
BC Studies no. 54 (Fall 1982): 38-62.
- Morgan, Henry James, ed. "Gosnell, R. Edward." The Canadian Men and Women of the Time: A Handbook of Canadian Biography.
Toronto: W. Briggs, 1898: 392-93.
Available on microfiche: Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions, Microfiche Series no. 02221. Available online: Early Canadiana Online (http://www.canadiana.org/).