Between 1871 and 2000, 31 men and one woman have led British Columbia, and their regimes have been marked by prosperity, recession, scandal and sometimes even good government. In "British Columbia's Premiers in Profile," William Rayner introduces these colourful people who have brought varied abilities to the task of running a province. To place each premier's contribution in context, Rayner has analyzed their performances and rated them as Good, Bad or Transient. "There have been good premiers, bad premiers and just plain run-of-the-mill premiers," says Rayner. "Some were colourful bordering on the eccentric, some were bullies and some were even loved . . . British Columbia has witnessed the arrival of premiers whose political leanings and personal philosophies have been as disparate as their physical dimensions and their backgrounds. W.A.C. Bennett, prior to becoming an MLA was in hardware. De Cosmos was an itinerant photographer and journalist. Oliver was a farmer. Several were lawyers . . . The point is, the worth of a premier doesn't depend on his or her background."