Sign of the Times

Benjamin Jackson at night can be found bartending at the Penthouse Nightclub in Vancouver, where he’s worked for over a decade, dreaming up new messages for the club marquee. Or in the day, anonymously up a ladder outside the club with a box full of plastic letters—until now, where local media have dubbed him ‘the sign guy’. Forty-three-year-old Jackson is originally from Calgary. A Sign of the Times is his first book.

Several months on the BC Bestseller list!“The most entertaining corner in the city of Vancouver — and that’s just what I’ve seen from the outside!” (Sophie Lui, Global BC TV News Anchor)“I only ever go to The Penthouse to read the signs.” (Bill Allman, Chairman BC Entertainment Hall of Fame)"The wisecracking strip club sign that unzips the zeitgeist… These quick quips have become something of a cultural landmark among locals — a point of civic pride for a city that doesn’t often have a lot of it. Many of the signs have also gone viral around the world, breaking out of their Vancouver bubble and into the wider cultural conversation.” (Sara Harowitz, CBC Arts)“No doubt the new book … a coffee table history of the sign … will add to the growing legend around the club.” (Shawn Conner, Vancouver Sun)“If your commute includes Seymour Street in Downtown Vancouver, you may already be familiar with the neon marquee outside the legendary Penthouse Nightclub. These days, the viral messages that its tile lettering spells out get more attention than the nearly eighty-year-old establishment itself. Now, the best of them have been collected in a new book.” (John Ackermann, City News)“The Penthouse in Vancouver has been infamous for decades for its adult entertainment. But in more recent years, it’s also been known for its marquee and its attention-seeking quips, and now there’s a book highlighting the sign — called, of course, A Sign of the Times.“ (Jordan Armstrong, Global BC)