PRE-ORDER: The Mapmaker's Omission

PRE-ORDER: Release date October 7, 2026

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"A unique and compelling account of first contact in the fur trade era of the Pacific Northwest." - 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." - 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

"Perch on Klassen's 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 NKwala and the Interior Salish Alliance

In the year British Columbla 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. In his three-year, 7,000+ kilometre search for answers as to why the mapmaker omitted what he did, author Randy Klassen learned of ancient trails, ambassadors and alliances, fat fish and furs, and revenge and reconciliation in a world unknown to him. He also discovered the truth about now that World vanished when today's Pacific Northwest was charted.

A personal encounter with mazelike geography and untold history, The Mapmaker's Omission reveals 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.

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Randy Klassen is a retired businessman, author, and aging ultrarunner. Having earned his Bachelor of Arts (International Relations) from the University of British Columbia in the 1980s, Randy happily argues that when we challenge our foundational beliefs, we equip ourselves to better understand what shapes our present. His first book, Perhaps Joy is the Reward, speaks to the power of discovering what we become when we pursue difficult journeys alongside others on earthen trails. Book two, The Mapmaker’s Omission, reveals how Klassen’s personal encounters with the mazelike geography and untold history of the Pacific Northwest changed his thinking. Randy and his wife Cindy live in Squamish, BC, where trails and adventures begin in their backyard.