Robert Amos has won the Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize for outstanding Scholarly Book on British Columbia for his book E. J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist. The prize, which has increased to $3,500 in 2023, is awarded by UBC Library and the Pacific BookWorld News Society.
Published by TouchWood Editions, the book is Amos’ fifth publication on E. J. Hughes, one of B.C.’s most accomplished painters and Canada’s longest-serving war artist. In his book, Amos examines a treasure trove of Hughes’ paintings, diaries, and letters from the Second World War. Through a meticulous study of Hughes’ life and artwork, Amos provides rich insight into an important chapter of history and Canadian art.
“I’ve published quite a few books about local art history, but I recognized that there was no greater prize than to be entrusted with the story of E. J. Hughes. Here was a man of preternatural talent, whose works have sold for more than $2 million at auction. Yet he kept out of the public eye and lived a very quiet life at Shawnigan Lake. His work is treasured, but the story of his life had never been told,” says Amos. “I gave myself to the task twelve years ago. With the encouragement of the Hughes Estate, I set about publishing his life’s work in a series of books. His paintings of our coast and the Interior are beloved, yet his time as the first, longest-serving and most productive Canadian war artist was essentially unknown. All 541 of his war records have remained with the military, now part of the Beaverbrook Collection at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. Their support made this book possible.”
“Amos’ book deepens our appreciation for Hughes’ craft and enriches our understanding of Hughes’ vision during a critical time in history,” says Dr. Susan E. Parker, UBC’s University Librarian. “We are honoured to award Robert Amos with the Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize.”
Robert Amos is a self-employed artist and writer, known in his hometown as “the man who paints Victoria.” As the Assistant to the Director of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from 1975 to 1980, he honed his perceptions and then spent a year in Japan developing his art. Upon returning, he began writing a weekly newspaper column which resulted in his passion for documenting and archiving many of the remarkable artists who have made Vancouver Island their home. E. J. Hughes: Canadian War Artist is his twelfth book, and is the fifth about Hughes. The sixth, E. J. Hughes: Life at the Lake, will be published by TouchWood Editions in autumn 2023.
The book is available to read through UBC Library.
Shortlisted titles for the prize are:
Wilson Duff: Coming Back, a Life, Robin Fisher. (Madeira Park: Harbour Publishing).
Chinese Victoria: A Long and Difficult Journey, John Adams. (Victoria: Discover the Past).
About the Prize
The Basil Stuart-Stubbs Prize for Outstanding Book on British Columbia, sponsored by UBC Library and the Pacific BookWorld News Society, recognizes the best scholarly book published by a Canadian author on a B.C. subject. The book prize was established in memory of Basil Stuart-Stubbs, a bibliophile, scholar and librarian who passed away in 2012. Stuart-Stubbs’s many accomplishments included serving as the University Librarian at UBC Library and as the Director of UBC’s School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. Stuart-Stubbs had a leadership role in many national and regional library and publishing activities. During his exceptional career, he took particular interest in the production and distribution of Canadian books and was associated with several initiatives beneficial to authors and their readers, and to Canadian publishing.