In the Sea of Sterile Mountains

In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia is a 1974 book by James Morton, published by J. J. Douglas. It discusses the politics and provides historical details on the Chinese Canadians in British Columbia, Canada from 1858 until the early 1970s. In particular it addresses the non-Chinese British Columbia community's belief that the Chinese were a "problem" that needed to be dealt with. William Willmott of the University of Canterbury wrote that "it is evident from the nature of his source material that Dr. Morton did not set out to write a book about the Chinese in British Columbia, but only about white reactions to them."

The title originates from a comment towards the province in an 1874 speech by Edward Blake, a member of the Parliament of Canada from South Bruce, Ontario. He called British Columbia "an inhospitable country, a sea of sterile mountains."

The author is not a historian.

The book uses six documentaries and secondary sources total. There are extracts from two Royal Commission reports present. The book also uses newspaper articles and editorials, particularly those of Canadian newspapers, spanning over 100 years. Newspapers represented include the British Columbian, Cariboo Sentinel,Colonist (Victoria),Gazette,Guardian (New Westminster),Herald,News (Vancouver), and the News Advertiser (Vancouver). Willmott described the collection of newspapers as a "labour of love", and "meticulous scholarship". Samantha J. Scott, the author of "Text as Discourse: The Chinese in Canada in Historiographical Perspective," argued, "Morton relies at random upon a very minute selection of newspaper articles and government records".

The book includes 10 chapters, an index, sixteen pages of black-and-white photographs in two sets, and a listing of key dates from 1843-1967, labeled "chronology." The dust jacket has three colours. Willmott stated that the chronology is "useful" and that the book overall is "well presented". Doug Beardsley of Books in Canada wrote that there are too few photographs in the book, but that overall the "beautifully produced" book is "handsome".

Each chapter is about an aspect of the British Columbian perception of the Chinese people, and the chapters are arranged in a chronological manner. Willmott characterized the organization as "arbitrary." The book discusses the origins of anti-East Asian sentiment stemming from the Opium War-era relations with China and the reasons for Chinese immigration to North America. Morton criticized Sir Wilfrid Laurier's preferential treatment of Japanese persons. Beardsley wrote "Morton is not afraid to pinpoint those most responsible for fanning the flames of prejudice."

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