[pct-l] Wilderness Press Guides going out of print
Tom Griffin
griffin at u.washington.edu
Thu Nov 4 23:30:52 CDT 2010
I'm late to the conversation because I get the digest version. I am
involved in guidebook publishing, and all is not lost. If there is
enough demand, Wilderness Press could print more copies "on demand." The
big problem is that the books aren't being updated. Maybe they could
release updates through their website to keep the books somewhat
current? They used to do that.
As much as I've cursed it as the Book of Lies, the PCT guidebook speaks
the truth about the beauty of the trail. I've relied on it for more than
700 miles over almost 10 years. There is nothing that can really replace
it, unless it is a three-volume guidebook in print. Thank you to Jeffrey
Schaffer, Ben Schifrin, Thomas Winnett, Ruby Johnson Jenkins, and all
the other great PCT guidebook authors. You have made a real difference
in the lives in many people, and your legacy is the community who will
help preserve the PCT for generations to come. They will love it as much
as you do.
I'm ordering fresh copies too.
Tom "Bullfrog" Griffin
Seattle
Date: Wed, 3 Nov 2010 15:30:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rob Langsdorf <mctrob at yahoo.com>
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
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