A collection of 51 short stories by the legendary writer and painter Emily Carr, arranged in themes such as her experiences with Native people, her adventures with various beloved creatures and her love of nature. Together, they underline Carr's place as a writer with the sharp yet tender eye of an artist, with a deep feeling for the tragedies of life and with a rich sense of the comic. The book is enhanced by seven of Carr's line drawings of scenes from nature.

The Heart of a Peacock is the fourth of the seven books by Emily Carr to be published by Douglas & McIntyre in a completely redesigned edition, each with an introduction by a noted Canadian writer or an authority on Emily Carr and her work.

Beloved Canadian artist and writer Emily Carr (December 13, 1871—March 2, 1945) was born in Victoria, British Columbia. She studied art in the U.S., England and France until 1911, when she moved back to British Columbia. Carr was most heavily influenced by the landscapes and First Nations cultures of British Columbia and Alaska. In the 1920s she came into contact with members of the Group of Seven and was later invited to submit her works for inclusion in a Group of Seven exhibition. They named her The Mother of Modern Arts about five years later.

Emily Carr's profile page

Rosemary Neering is a Victoria-based writer, editor, and photographer. She has published numerous articles in noted periodicals such as British Columbia Magazine, Canada's History Magazine, and Western Living. Rosemary also has over 40 book-length publications to her name, including A Traveller's Guide to Historic British Columbia and Down the Road. Her most recent publications include The Pig War: The Last Canada-US Border Conflict and British Columbia Bizarre: A Compendium of Facts, Stories, Whimsies and a Few Outright Lies from Canada's Wacky West Coast. When Rosemary isn`t travelling throughout BC looking for new stories, she enjoys time at home with her partner, Joe, and her cat.

Rosemary Neering's profile page

"Carr's economy of words and the deceptive simplicity of her structures reveal her depths carefully, expressing emotions that linger just as effortlessly as they appear to have been set on the page."

Art Book News Annual 2006