Location: Murray ground floor, UASC reading room
Curator: Alycia Bockus-Vanin
Frank W. Anderson was born in Brandon, Manitoba in 1919. At age 16 he was convicted of the murder of a prison guard who was fatally injured during an escape attempt. When his death sentence was commuted to life in prison, Anderson dedicated himself to improving his education. He earned his high school diploma and nearly completed a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Saskatchewan by correspondence while incarcerated, finishing up his degree after his release. Anderson went on to complete degrees in Social Work at the University of Toronto and had a long career working with the John Howard Society, Mount Royal University, and National Parole Board of Canada.
Frank and his wife Edna began researching, writing, publishing and distributing books in 1961. Under two publishing companies, Frontier Books and Gopher Books, they released over 100 titles on topics ranging from history to crime to travel and more. Their works show an interest in both well- and lesser-known historical events and personalities, as well as for (perhaps) overlooked places of interest across Western Canada.
The University Archives and Special Collections holds many titles published by Anderson and others under Frontier and Gopher books. Please contact ua.sc@usask.ca for more information and to access the collection.
