Fonds MsC-192 - Jim Douglas fonds

James Jardine (Jim) Douglas was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1924 and immigrated to Canada in 1954. After working as a book peddler and sales representative off and on since he was 15, Jim founded first Douglas Agencies in 1964, then J.J. Douglas Ltd. in 1966 and established himself as one of the first major book publishers and distributers in British Columbia to generate significant sales outside of the province. He had an interest in representing Canadian authors and content, especially books about Indigenous peoples and culture, guidebooks and histories. This later grew into the internationally renowned publishing firm Douglas & McIntyre in 1979, from which he retired in 1982 when he sold his shares to partner Scott McIntyre.
Aside from his entrepreneurial endeavors, Jim was heavily involved with the Association of Canadian Publishers, serving as President from 1975-1977 and again from 1983-1984. He was also one of the founding officers of the Association of Book Publishers of B.C., and a key figure in the genesis and design of the publishing program at Simon Fraser University. Jim sought to professionalize and create standards for the publishing industry and has since been acknowledged as one of the founding fathers of BC publishing. He was named a Companion to the Order of Canada in 2008 in recognition of his profound influence on the book publishing industry.
Jim Douglas died in North Vancouver on September 24, 2016.