Coming Soon ― The Eastern Townships Adventure by Bernie Epps

Coming Soon ― The Eastern Townships Adventure by Bernie Epps
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• October 19, 2024. A new two-volume set of The Eastern Townships Adventure by Bernard Epps is slated for publication on December 1st. Pre-orders are accepted from now until November 15.

Well-known Townships writer “Bernie” Epps extensively researched and wrote the two volumes in the 1980s and early 90s. The first volume, A History to 1837, was published in 1992 by Pigwidgeon Press, and is now out of print. Volume 2: 1837 to 1900 was never published, although an ISBN number had been obtained for it, suggesting Epps had intended to publish it.

Sadly, Epps had a stroke in 1993, and died in 2007, five years after a second stroke.

The second volume languished in the Eastern Townships Resource Centre’s archives for more than 20 years. Then, in early 2023, a researcher contacted the ETRC trying to locate the second volume. A few emails later, Bernie’s daughter Jennifer, in California, confirmed that, indeed, Volume 2 had never been published.

“Dad would be so happy that someone is inquiring about the Eastern Townships Adventure, Volume 2. … He would have loved for it to be published,” she wrote.

With support from the Bélanger-Gardner Foundation, three partners undertook the project of publishing both volumes as a set ― the Townships Sun, the Eastern Townships Resource Centre, and Shoreline Press. The editorial team of Rachel Garber, Angela Leuck, and Jody Robinson, as well as more than a dozen other staff members and volunteers have worked more than a year to produce these two volumes.

The two-volume set has a fresh, new look with new images from the ETRC archives, new hand-drawn maps, and a timeline. New commentary by diverse contemporary voices is appended to Epps’s original texts, including Royal Orr, Marc T. Boucher, Marie Moliner, Scott Verity Stevenson, Joanne Pocock, and William Floch. Cover art is by Denis Palmer, layout design is by Tim Doherty, and the books are to be printed by Blanchard Litho in Lennoxville.

“I’m from Western Canada,” said Angela Leuck of Shoreline Press. “I had no idea how exciting and rich the history of the Eastern Townships is, with such larger-than-life characters. Epps’s two volumes are must-reads for people new to the Townships, as well as those who have lived here for generations.”

The project has already elicited a surge of interest. In response, the Townships Sun is offering interested persons the opportunity to pre-order copies in advance of the book launch. The two books have a regular price of $50, but sets reserved by November 15 are only $45, payable upon upon delivery. Credit cards are accepted.

Interested persons can pre-order the set by emailing their full name, address, email, and phone number to [email protected].

Orders can be picked up and paid for on Sunday, December 1st, at 2 p.m., at the Bury Armoury, 529 Main Street, during a gala launch and English tea hosted by the Bury Historical & Heritage Society.

Another opportunity to pick up pre-ordered sets will be at a Holiday Book Fest in Lennoxville, hosted by the Townships Sun on Sunday, December 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Finally, pre-orders can be picked up at the Townships Sun office after December 2, during office hours. Persons wishing to receive their orders by mail will need to ask about the mailing and handling cost, depending on their country of residence.

For more information about the books, about the December 1st book launch in Bury, or about the December 8th Holiday Book Fest, please email [email protected].