If you are looking for a copy of Stephen Vogler's new book aboard B.C. Ferries you will be disappointed.
The ferry management company has deemed the cover of Vogler's book Only in Whistler: Tales of a Mountain Town too racy for the shelves of its gift shops. The cover photo was taken by Squamish-based photographer Gary McFaralane and depicts four naked women getting onto a chairlift in the early 1990s, their bums clearly visible.
Vogler said the cover is a bit provocative, and "I guess you could almost expect something like this might happen.
"Bookstores have all kinds of fairly racy covers. It is not a problem in most places, but on the ferry, they saw it otherwise."
He explained that he shared a few cover ideas with his publisher, Harbour Publishing, and they selected the photograph because it reflected the humorous and irreverent nature of Whistler that the book covers.
A spokesperson with B.C. Ferries said this week they considered putting a banner around the book so people couldn't see the women's bums. They shared that idea with Harbour Publishing but never heard back.
"He (the publisher) chose to go to the media instead, so we won't be carrying the book," said Deborah Marshall, director of media relations for B.C. Ferries. "We do have a non-controversial selection process, and we have a lot of children in our bookstore. That is why we had to choose to not select the book."
Only in Whistler traces the history of Whistler from an insider's point of view, covering stories about the European alpinists and the snow hippies who created Whistler's unique culture of serious skiing and unserious living over the past 50 years.
Vogler, who has lived in Whistler for 32 years, is holding an inaugural book launch this Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at Roland's Pub in Creekside. He will also host a second book launch in Vancouver on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Aphrodite's Organic Café.
