The Eaton's BC Book Award was first presented in 1975 and last awarded in 1983. Prior to the establishment of the BC Book Prizes

BC Book Prizes

The BC Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers.The seven Prizes, plus The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence, are presented annually at the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Prize Gala in April.The Prizes are administered...

 in 1985, Eaton’s BC Book Award was one of the British Columbia's

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 top literary prizes.

History

The Eaton's BC Book Award was established by Any Wright of Eaton's book department in Vancouver in 1975. Most years the judges remained unchanged, featuring notable Vancouver figures Margaret Prang (UBC), Walter D. Young (UVic) and Gordon Elliott (SFU). The judges for the final award in 1983 were Margaret Prang, Leslie Peterson (Vancouver Sun) and Chuck Davis (author/broadcaster).

Winners

The Eaton's BC Book Award presented the "best BC book of the year".

• Robert E. Cail, Land, Man and the Law: The Disposal of Crown Lands in British Columbia, 1871-1913 (UBC Press, 1974).
• Jack Hodgins
  Jack Hodgins
  For the fictional character from Bones see Jack Hodgins Jack Hodgins is a Canadian novelist and short story writer....
  
  , Spit Delaney's Island (Macmillan, 1976)
• Howard White (editor), Raincoast Chronicles First Five: Stories and History of the B.C. Coast (Harbour, 1976)
• Douglas Cole
  Douglas Cole (historian)
  Douglas Lowell Cole was a Canadian historian specializing in art and cultural history, particularly the cultures of Northwest Pacific Coast....
  
   & Maria Tippett, From Desolation to Splendour: Changing Perceptions of the British Columbia Landscape (Clarke, Irwin, 1977)
• Terry Reksten, Rattenbury (Sono Nis, 1978)
• Ulli Steltzer & Catherine Kerr, Coast of Many Faces (Douglas & McIntyre, 1979)
• Barry Downs, Sacred Places (Douglas & McIntyre, 1980)
• Hugh Brody
  Hugh Brody
  Hugh Brody is a British anthropologist, writer, director and lecturer. He was born in 1943 and educated at Trinity College, Oxford. He taught social anthropology at Queen's University, Belfast...
  
  , Maps and Dreams (Douglas & McIntyre, 1981)
• Lynne Bowen, Boss Whistle: The Coal Miners of Vancouver Island Remember (Oolichan Books, 1982)