[pct-l] [PCTSection] Re: Wilderness Press Guides going out of print - Note from Jeff Schaffer

Wed Nov 3 23:40:35 CDT 2010

I agree the WP Guides are a great set of books and was surprised to read the
news today, even though by chance I was speculating about their future with
a friend just this past weekend. As an escapee from a past life in the
newspaper publishing world, I am more aware that most that the future of
print publishing is not good, for all the reasons that Schaffer discusses in
his email and more.

It is  an interesting idea to republish them somehow, but the guidebooks are
copyrighted work, and copyrights last for many years. We have no idea how
Schaffer, or what remains of Wilderness Press, or the other authors might
feel about this.

I have thought about organizing some type of guidebook, but was thinking
along the lines of having a different author for each section of the trail.
Not sure if that's a practical solution or not, but it might be a way to
fill the void if nothing else does.

-Halfmile
www.pctmap.net

On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 8:07 PM, AsABat <AsABat at 4jeffrey.net> wrote:

>
>
> Or maybe update and reprint the text without the maps, since several other
> map sources are now available. There is precidence of sorts inKaren Bergers
> PCT Companion.
>
> Halfmile, we are talking to you!
>
>
> -----Original message-----
> From: Ryan Christensen <yosemiteryan at yahoo.com <yosemiteryan%40yahoo.com>>
> To: Rob Langsdorf <mctrob at yahoo.com <mctrob%40yahoo.com>>, PCT-L <
> pct-l at backcountry.net <pct-l%40backcountry.net>>, SectionsYahooGroup PCT <
> pctsection at yahoogroups.com <pctsection%40yahoogroups.com>>,
> PCTsectionNW at yahoogroups.com <PCTsectionNW%40yahoogroups.com>,
> pct2006 at yahoogroups.com <pct2006%40yahoogroups.com>,
> PCT2007 at yahoogroups.com <PCT2007%40yahoogroups.com>,
> PCT2008 at yahoogroups.com <PCT2008%40yahoogroups.com>,
> pct2010 at yahoogroups.com <pct2010%40yahoogroups.com>,
> So_California_Backpackers at yahoogroups.com<So_California_Backpackers%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thu, Nov 4, 2010 03:00:02 GMT+00:00
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Wilderness Press Guides going out of print - Note from
> Jeff Schaffer
>
> This is truly depressing news. Its hard to imagine the PCT guidebooks going
> out
> of print. I for one love them and have found them to be a rich source of
> information. For me, they helped beyond just getting from point A to point
> B:
> they were an invitation to become more fully present to landscapes,
> history,
> plants and animals I encountered along the way. They offered fertile fuel
> for my
> imagination and ponderings as I walked and experienced. They helped me to
> more
> deeply experience the trail- they helped me experience the bigger picture.
> Sure,
> there are many other sources of information we can use to figure out miles,
>
> elevations and junctions-- but there is no other source that gives us the
> full
> picture of the landscape PCT transverses.
>
> Someone- like the PCTA, should purchase the rights to the guidebooks and
> keep
> them in print. If its about the cost of digitizing all the maps in the
> books-
> its seems to me that within our community we have more than enough energy,
> technical talent and love for the trail to find volunteers to complete the
> task.
> This should be seriously considered. How could we test the waters for an
> effort
> like this?
>
> I just purchased a new set of books as well.
>
> Ryan "ProDeal" Christensen
>
> www.bristleconemedia.com
>
> ________________________________
> From: Rob Langsdorf <mctrob at yahoo.com <mctrob%40yahoo.com>>
> To: PCT-L <pct-l at backcountry.net <pct-l%40backcountry.net>>;
> SectionsYahooGroup PCT
> <pctsection at yahoogroups.com <pctsection%40yahoogroups.com>>;
> PCTsectionNW at yahoogroups.com <PCTsectionNW%40yahoogroups.com>;
> pct2006 at yahoogroups.com <pct2006%40yahoogroups.com>;
> PCT2007 at yahoogroups.com <PCT2007%40yahoogroups.com>;
> PCT2008 at yahoogroups.com <PCT2008%40yahoogroups.com>;
> pct2010 at yahoogroups.com <pct2010%40yahoogroups.com>;
> So_California_Backpackers at yahoogroups.com<So_California_Backpackers%40yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Wed, November 3, 2010 3:30:04 PM
> Subject: [pct-l] Wilderness Press Guides going out of print - Note from
> Jeff
> Schaffer
>
> Hi All,
> I recently sent a number of updates to Jeff Schaffer, who use to publish
> the
>
> Wilderness Press PCT guides. He wrote back to say that Wilderness Press is
> out
> of business and that he has retired (See his letter below). So if you have
> a
> Wilderness Press Guide to the PCT or other volumes, hold on to them. They
> aren’t
>
> printing any more.
>
> They were a great set of guide books for the last 35 or so years.
>
> Jeff gave me permission to post his letter on various PCT discussion lists,
>
> Rob
>
> ========
>
> Rob:
>
> You have put a lot of effort into the letter you wrote me. Unfortunately,
> Wilderness Press is defunct, it's doors shut down at the end of July. Keen
> Publications bought the company a couple of years ago, but I suspect that
> when
> they sell the books in their warehouse, that's it. The bottom line is that
> the
> three volumes have about 1500 map overlays, and that is far too many to
> scan and
>
> still make a profit. Actually, I doubt if the series ever made a profit. It
> was
> sooooo expensive to produce. However, it did attract buyers to WP.
>
> So the volumes languish. They won't be revised. But that is okay (hard for
> me,
> since I thought I would retire on book royalties - very naive on my part).
> The
> future is in GPS units that will have the trail plus all the features in an
> app
> for the unit. This is already being done for some trails. Only a matter of
> time
> before it's done for the PCT. As I see it, guidebooks are history.
> Guidebook
> companies can't compete against free apps. My Tahoe Sierra book was one of
> the
> first to go. (Too many maps, too many scans.) Some 5-10 years ago, I was
> doing
> revisions for it and met an older hiker who had a portable GPS unit on his
> back,
>
> plus a camera and video recorder. He found out who I was and interviewed
> me.
> Then I asked what's he doing this for. It was a hobby, mapping trails and
> features and putting them on the internet for free. I said that you are
> putting
> me out of business. So true. No hard feelings. This is progress. Saves a
> lot of
> trees.
>
> Well, I'm 67, semi-retired, and the only backpacking I do is when I
> absolutely
> have to go in to the Sierra for geological research. I did a 35-miler and
> 52-miler this summer. Very difficult with two bad knees, a damaged
> vertebral
> column, and two blown shoulders (I'm still a climber and have taken
> countless
> falls and probably over a hundred injuries, most minor; some, not minor).
> Still,
>
> would attempt to keep the books in print if I knew that I would actually
> see
> some royalties to pay for my expenses. Not likely.
>
> There is a 2 volume anthology by PCT hikers, to be published by The
> Mountaineers
>
> next year. You can read my short contribution (all are short!!!), which was
>
> requested by the two editors. At the end, I say the guides have to die.
> They
> need to go out of print. They are too dated and there is no way Keen can
> make
> any money producing updated editions.
>
> So, if you've got guidebook copies, hang on to them. May be worth some
> money
> years from now. The bookbuyer at our college bookstore told me that she
> expects
> there will be no more textbooks in about 5 years (there goes the
> bookstore); all
>
> texts will be electronic. There goes here job. But we both plan to retire
> in 3
> years. Again, the more books that are electronic, the more trees we save.
> I'm
> all for trees, but we probably have too many on our property. Have to trim
> some
> back and cut some down every year or two. (We probably have the greenest
> property in Browns Valley.)
>
> Keep on hiking and enjoying nature.
>
> Jeff Schaffer,
>
> Mountaineering naturalist
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net <Pct-L%40backcountry.net>
> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-L mailing list
> Pct-L at backcountry.net <Pct-L%40backcountry.net>
> To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
> List Archives:
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>  __._,_.___
>   Reply to sender<asabat at 4jeffrey.net?subject=Re:+%5Bpct-l%5D+Wilderness+Press+Guides+going+out+of+print+-+Note+from%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0+Jeff+Schaffer>| Reply
> to group<PCTSection at yahoogroups.com?subject=Re:+%5Bpct-l%5D+Wilderness+Press+Guides+going+out+of+print+-+Note+from%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0+Jeff+Schaffer>| Reply
> via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTSection/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJvdHFoNzZnBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzgyODkyMTkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY2MDA1BG1zZ0lkAzQ2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEyODg4NDAwNjk-?act=reply&messageNum=463>| Start
> a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTSection/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlOWwwaTA5BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzgyODkyMTkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY2MDA1BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA250cGMEc3RpbWUDMTI4ODg0MDA2OQ-->
> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTSection/message/463;_ylc=X3oDMTMyNG1xdHBpBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzgyODkyMTkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY2MDA1BG1zZ0lkAzQ2MwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyODg4NDAwNjkEdHBjSWQDNDYz>(
> 1)
>  Recent Activity:
>
>
>  Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTSection;_ylc=X3oDMTJlYW5tdmNtBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzgyODkyMTkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY2MDA1BHNlYwN2dGwEc2xrA3ZnaHAEc3RpbWUDMTI4ODg0MDA2OQ-->
>  REPLIES will be delivered only to the sender. To reply to the entire
> list, enter PCTSection at yahoogroups.com in the "To" box.
>
> FOR OTHER LIST QUESTIONS, address changes, etc., visit your group on the
> web at
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTSection/
> or send an email to:
> PCTSection-owner at yahoogroups.com
>  MARKETPLACE
>
> Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center.<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15o2m5lbu/M=493064.13814537.14041040.10835568/D=groups/S=1705066005:MKP1/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1288847269/L=b4c29ad2-e7c0-11df-b9e4-c7f30aa90d9b/B=fJfaF9BDRqE-/J=1288840069765385/K=508C9u3jwVO39Ca4O.eg1w/A=6078812/R=0/SIG=114ae4ln1/*http://dogandcatanswers.yahoo.com/>
>  ------------------------------
>
> Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get
> the Yahoo! Toolbar now.<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15oeo50je/M=493064.13983314.14041046.13298430/D=groups/S=1705066005:MKP1/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1288847269/L=b4c29ad2-e7c0-11df-b9e4-c7f30aa90d9b/B=e5faF9BDRqE-/J=1288840069765385/K=508C9u3jwVO39Ca4O.eg1w/A=6060255/R=0/SIG=1194m4keh/*http://us.toolbar.yahoo.com/?.cpdl=grpj>
>   ------------------------------
>
> Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new
> interests.<http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=15osdc7jc/M=493064.14012770.13963757.13298430/D=groups/S=1705066005:MKP1/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1288847269/L=b4c29ad2-e7c0-11df-b9e4-c7f30aa90d9b/B=fZfaF9BDRqE-/J=1288840069765385/K=508C9u3jwVO39Ca4O.eg1w/A=6015306/R=0/SIG=11vlkvigg/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/hobbiesandactivitieszone/>
>   [image: Yahoo! Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkZDQwZ2EyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzgyODkyMTkEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY2MDA1BHNlYwNmdHIEc2xrA2dmcARzdGltZQMxMjg4ODQwMDY5>
> Switch to: Text-Only<PCTSection-traditional at yahoogroups.com?subject=Change+Delivery+Format:+Traditional>,
> Daily Digest<PCTSection-digest at yahoogroups.com?subject=Email+Delivery:+Digest>•
> Unsubscribe <PCTSection-unsubscribe at yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> •
> Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>
>    .
>
> __,_._,___
>