Art of the Book
with Scott McIntyre
At this upcoming Alcuin event at the Vancouver Public Library, legendary publisher Scott McIntyre will offer a deeply personal retrospective on his nearly 50-year career at the forefront of the Canadian literary landscape. As the force behind Douglas & McIntyre, McIntyre will trace the evolution of one of the country's premier independent houses, sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes involving industry icons and celebrated authors. More than just a history lesson, the talk serves as a passionate defense of the physicality of books—emphasizing why craftsmanship in paper, binding, and design remains a vital tribute to the written word even in an increasingly digital age.
The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited to 80. It takes place on April 30, at 6:30 pm at the Montalbano Family Theatre on the 8th level of the Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch.
“From scratchings on cave walls to clay tablets and ink markings on fabric, velum and parchment, words and images on a surface have defined human history.”
In his own words
From scratchings on cave walls to clay tablets and ink markings on fabric, velum and parchment, words and images on a surface have defined human history. Books, and those words and images that defined them, were in my blood from the beginning: my great uncle was Ernest Thompson Seton; my grandmother studied with Emily Carr; and Edwin Holgate was a cousin.
Beginning in Toronto at McClelland & Stewart in the late 1960s, I was introduced to the publishing world by Jack McClelland, Pat Knopf (Alfred’s son), Hugh Kane, Stan Bevington at Coach House Press (“made in Canada by mindless acid freaks”), and Frank Newfeld, amongst many others. Over an almost 50 year period, D&M grew to become one of Canada’s largest independent publishing houses, with offices in Vancouver and Toronto, publishing some 2000 books.
For me, the physicality of books remained fundamental. Echoing the imperatives of Knopf; paper, binding, and type design had to honour the words. That resulted in winning more Alcuin Awards than any other single house, national or multinational, while building the largest art book program in Canada, and establishing an international reputation for high-quality books. Even the D&M logo, the Burghead Bull, declared intent, based upon a carved image from a 9th century Pictish fort overlooking Moray Forth: defiant; Scottish; echoing the traditions of old-line publishing houses.
Anecdotes about the evolution of Canadian publishing will focus on important D&M projects: The Art of Emily Carr; History in Their Blood; Doug Coupland’s Souvenir of Canada and A Story as Sharp as a Knife, amongst many others. They’ll include working with and coming to know such publishing icons as John Murray, Roger Strauss, Thomas Neurath, and Peter Mayer. I’ll also touch upon the evolution of Barbarian Press, for which Corky and I became the first patrons, while close friends Crispin and Jan Elsted were still university students living parsimoniously in the UK.
This will be my personal take, the world I chose to embrace and why the old standards still matter, even in a digital world.
Biography
Scott McIntyre, CM, OBC, LLD (Hon), BA is best known as co-founder and retired Publisher and CEO of the pre-eminent, Vancouver headquartered, Canadian publishing house Douglas & McIntyre. His company published over 2000 Canadian books from its founding in 1971 to his retirement in 2013. He also spent over 40 years engaged in industry/government relations. That included two decades involved in Canada’s international trade negotiations, and a role in the development and implementation of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity, and time as the Canadian representative on the board of LOGOS: the Journal of the World Book Community, in London, England.
Scott remains an active member of Canada’s cultural community. His recent Boards have included PEN Canada, the BC Achievement Foundation and, at UBC, Green College, the Global Reporting Centre, the Museum of Anthropology, and the Vancouver Institute. He delivered the 2019-2020 Clyne Lectures at Green College. His memoir, A Precarious Enterprise: Making a Life in Canadian Publishing, was published by ECW of Toronto in September 2025.
Scott is a graduate of UBC, and holds an honorary Doctor of Laws from SFU. He is a member of both the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. His significant contributions to Canadian publishing have been further recognized by the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals.