AXIS OF EVIL MAPPING NEWSLETTER # 6 July, 2010

NEW TITLES FOR THIS MONTH!

British Columbia, Canada, Central Asia, Jordan and Syria, South America North and South East Asia

The Axis of Evil Mapping Newsletter is released irregularly. Any opinions expressed are strictly those of myself and are not intended to provoke anything more than the intellect.

NB: Map Link’s inventory and receivables have been seized by Rabobank and the company is in the process of shutting down. Details below.

INTRODUCTION

             Canada celebrated its 143^rd birthday as an independent country on July 1^st, but it is actually the oldest English-speaking country in the Western Hemisphere, thanks to Jean Cabot, who claimed Newfoundland for Britain in 1534 – several generations before colonies were established in Virginia and Carolina. The reason for this was simple economics. Nfld. Controls the Grand Banks fishing area, and in the 1500s, salted fish were a staple diet in Europe. Bristol fishing fleets had been sailing westwards to the Grand Banks long before Cristo Colombo convinced the king of Spain to finance an expedition westward, and probably had well-established landing points and salting facilities in Newfoundland in the 1470s, but like all good fishermen, didn’t tell anyone where the fish were biting! By the early 1530s, Britain was so concerned about possible competition that they claimed the New Found Land to be a part of Britain to protect their interests. Newfoundland, Britain’s first and oldest colony finally joined Canada in 1949, moving our history as a country back beyond the initial Quebec City settlement by Champlain in 1604 by almost a hundred years.  Newfie was first!

CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER

            By the time you read this, the event is already history, but we in the map trade celebrated a momentous anniversary in mid-July. Kari(Gary) and Analie Wilander, the owners/operators of Olof’s Maps in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, celebrated 50 years of marriage on July 16^th. Hearty congrats to the newlyweds!!! They opened Olof’s Maps when Kari took early retirement from what he had been doing to earn money during his ‘working’ life, and they’ve been enjoying a second career for the past decade at least. They both are still fairly young, so they must have been children when they married. Anyone wishing to contact them can do so at info@olofmaps.com.

MAP LINK’S SORRY END

            Bill Hunt has advised me in writing that the bankruptcy court has approved shutting down Map Link. Rabobank, the rapacious firm that has been hounding Bill for the past two years, has, with court approval, taken over the assets and the receivables of Map Link and of that portion of Benchmark Atlases owned by Map Link, which means the inventory. Any money paid to Map link from now on will go directly to Rabobank, and any supplier foolish enough to continue to supply Map Link will not be paid for any inventory that is provided to Map Link. The money will all go to Rabobank to pay off the outstanding bank loan owed to then by ML. This is all happening as I write this, and no one is sure of anything. Bill has advised Publishers Weekly that ML is still in business while being restructured, but it appears unlikely that such efforts will succeed, as ML owes over two million dollars to its suppliers, and we’re all fed up with Bill’s run-around tactics. As of today’s date, Map Link is still accepting orders. Their web site is still operating. Their computer operating system is back up and running. No one can say what happens next, except that Rabobank is calling the shots, and will decide how long to keep this farce running. With no replenishment supplies coming in, and tons of material being sold at wholesale discounts on Amazon.com, the end can’t be far away.  That is Rabobank’s decision. My firm’s decision is that we will not supply Map Link with ITMB maps again until the $33,000 owed to ITMB by Map Link is paid in full.  Contact Map Link for further information.

MAP DISTRIBUTION

            It is no secret that map distribution in North America is in a sorry state. One can point fingers ad infinitum, but the reality is the demand remains strong for paper maps, but the ability of retailers to obtain inventory reliably is uncertain. Treaty Oak is gone, Mapsco is gone, Langenscheidt is staggering, and Map Link is, well, gone in all but the death throes. Rand McNally is limiting supply to retailers that can meet tougher terms for obtaining supplies. Smaller publishers are opening new accounts daily as the bigger distributors fail to meet needs.

So, what do we all do? Fold up our tents and fade away? As a long-time distributor of a wide range of map lines, ITMB sees an opportunity where others might see a problem. There are several well-run distribution businesses providing maps that ITMB can recommend to retailers. Here are three, and I would be happy to post notifications of other generalized suppliers is anyone can recommend them to me:

MAPLINE DISTRIBUTION          

Initially, MapLine is marketing ITMB, Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Nelles, and Ordnance Survey publishing lines. Soon, Franko Maps, Gizimaps, IGN France, G.M. Johnson, National Geographic Maps, Rough Guide Maps, and other quality lines will be added. This venture is supported initially by ITMB, but is independently owned and operated by Jiri Navratil, operating in close co-operation with ITMB. His intention is to represent a small but attractive series of publishers, without too much overlap, with fair treatment for all and a reliable servicing. It is still ‘early days’, but things WILL improve! Based in Vancouver, with an additional office in Washington State, Jiri is ideally placed to supply Canadian as well as American retail customers with a wide range of international map lines. He can be contacted at mapline@itmb.com or 604 273-1400 (Fax 604 273-1488) to set up an account.

OMNI RESOURCES

Russell guy has been operating Omni for about a quarter century and is a well-known and experienced distributor of maps. Coming from the geology world, he has specialized in what most of us would call the weird and wonderful maps that he has marketed to libraries, government offices, and business people who needed specific maps that would probably not be found in most bookstores, such as the National Atlas of Korea, or detailed topographic maps of Morocco. However, Omni also has a broad range of both international and domestic map publishing lines to supply to retailers, such as ITMB, Gizimaps, Rand McNally, Pittman, and a host of other lines. Based in Burlington, North Carolina, Russell is ideally placed to supply east coast destinations quickly, and can supply customers throughout the USA. He can be contacted at guy@omnimaps.com or by phone at 910 227-8300.

WORLD MAP SOURCE

Mark Walker originally ran Treaty Oak, back in the days when it was a viable business. He re-located to California a number of years ago and set up a business supplying maps of various Mexican publishers. This proved successful and he has expanded his range to include ITMB, along with the Guia Roji product line and several other Latin American publishing lines. Mark is based in Santa Barbara, CA. A complete listing of titles available from his firm is posted at www.worldmapsource.com and his email address is mwalker@worldmapsource.com. His office phone number is 805 687-1011.

            In addition to the above, there are obviously specialist map publishing houses that do a very good job of promoting their own lines. Three that come to mind initially are Franco Maps, National Geographic Maps, and Universal Maps Please contact the International Map Trade Association for a complete listing of US map publishers who are also members of IMTA. Michelin is, I believe, being distributed in the USA by National Book Marketing. In Canada, apart from ITMB/Mapline Distribution, CCC is the only significant publisher/distributor of domestic maps, and markets a limited range of Michelin maps and Rand McNally maps. Gem Trek has published a specialty line of Rocky Mountain maps in Calgary for a number of years. Also based in Calgary is Go Trekkers, who produce a series of maps on Canada’s national parks. Ulysses in Montreal does do some importing and distributing from Europe, and most domestic publishing houses market their product lines directly to retailers. Retailers tend to rely on CCC, ITMB, and American sources for maps, although Harper Collins and Penguin do include a few British titles. Some retailers import directly from Europe for their own needs, because the smaller Canadian market does tend to limit distribution, but this should change as map distribution re-invents itself.

CANADA, EH?

            To celebrate Canada Day, here are some questions about Canada posted on an international web site:

Since it is so cold in Canada, how do plants grow? (from England) Ans. They don’t; we import all our plants from Guatemala.

I want to walk from Vancouver to Toronto. Can I just follow the railway tracks? (from Sweden) Yes, it’s only 5,000 kilometres (or 3,000 miles). Anyone with six to eight months to kill and nothing better to do should be able to complete the walk easily.

Can you tell me the regions in British Columbia where the female population is smaller than the male population? (from Italy) Sure, just go to any gay nightclub.

Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Canada? (from China) There’s only one answer one can give for this question – Sure, every Saturday night in Calgary; come naked.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO STIMULUS MONEY?

            Remember a year or so ago, when the American government announced a multi-billion stimulus program, in addition to the bank bailout fiasco and the auto industry takeover and the promise that tax cuts and cash for clunkers would revitalize the economy? Does anyone remember the multi-multi billion Euro stimulus program announced with great flourish in Europe a little later that was going to get European consumers to fund the recovery of Europe? Well, neither has worked, and the world continues to limp along with precious few signs of real recovery. I’m more familiar with what’s going on in the USA than I am with events in Europe, but it is evident to me that this recession is lasting a lot longer than anyone wants. Why? Governments in Europe and Asia based everything upon an upsurge in consumer spending if taxes were reduced and incentives to shop were improved. What has actually happened is that consumers have used this time period to cut back on expenses and build up savings. Wouldn’t it be nice if governments did the same?

            China, on the other hand, has decided to stimulate their economy by investing in infrastructural improvements – new subway lines, new highways, new public buildings that combine providing society with necessary benefits while at the same time providing employment for millions of people. How many new rapid transit lines are being created in North America? We talk about clean energy, but nothing more than a stupid cap and trade charade exists. We talk about education and skills improvement and job retraining, and recognize that tens of millions of adult Americans desperately need retraining, but what in reality is happening? Eight million jobs have been lost in the USA during this recession. That’s more jobs than exist in most societies!

NEW ITMB ARTWORK UNDER DEVELOPMENT or AT PRESS

Dominican Republic and Haiti is out of stock, but is being updated. No ETA is available at the moment.

Indonesia is almost out of stock. It should be updated over the summer and be available again in October.

Kyoto and Nara is almost out of stock. It is being updated and re-worked into a double-sided map, with a portion of Japan detailed on the reverse side.

Lebanon is out of stock and being updated and re-worked into a double-sided map, with the Lebanon side being expanded to a full-sized sheet and the reverse side being a brand new and detailed map of Beirut at 1:8,500 scale. No re-issuing date is available yet, but I’m hoping for August.

Mexico South is out of stock. It is being moved to a new platform language in a modernization process, as well as being updated, which is almost complete, so should be available in late September or early October.

New Zealand is almost out of copies. It should be updated over the summer and be available again in October.

Togo and Benin is out of stock and is being updated and re-worked into a new, double-sided, map at a better scale. We hope to re-issue it in August.

Tunisia is out of stock. We are re-working it into a double-sided map at a better scale. No ETA is available.

Virgin Islands: our replacement map for our former title US Virgin Islands is now being re-created digitally. I don’t have a release date yet.

Venezuela unexpectedly ran out of copies sooner than anticipated, and is currently being updating. This was Kevin Healey’s last map. He died a week after it was released at the IMTA convention in Portland, Maine. It was prepared manually, and we were able to update it until changes in technology occurred a few years ago. Not to worry! Our digital data base for South America is the best in the world. We have a new, double-sided, digital map roughed in already, and a brilliant new map at a better scale will result. It will take a couple of months, but the wait will be worthwhile. Sorry for any inconvenience, that this is a necessary process.

NEW TITLES July, 2010

Australia Travel Reference Map 6^th Ed. 2010 1:3,500,000 on waterproof ITM paper should be available in early August. This is a minor updating, so please continue selling until sold out before re-ordering.

Bahamas Travel Reference Map – has gone to press and is expected in late August. This will be brand new digital artwork and will be a double-sided map.

British Columbia Travel Reference Map 7^th Ed. 2010 1:1,250,000 ISBN 9781553418283 UPC 815534182838 $6.95cdn/us, E6.95 6.99GBP – This is our seventh printing of our most popular provincial map for Canada. As with previous versions, we have updated road changes and new bridges. BC is not changing particularly quickly at the moment, due to the economic recession, but tens of thousands of people continue to migrate to the province each year, and its population is expected to double over the next twenty years. Thanks to its enormous size, huge tracts of land have been set aside for wilderness preservation, and yet the province boasts a road and rail network that would be the envy of smaller countries. The scenery tends to be described in superlative terms. Since I live her, I’ll avoid the clichés, and content myself by saying that not only is this map superlative, we’ve reduced the retail price, so it is much more affordable both in America and overseas. Printed on paper, double-sided; inset maps of Victoria and downtown Vancouver; AVAILABLE.

Canada Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:6,000,000 ISBN 9781553411581 UPC 815534115874 $9.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP Well, it’s about time, eh?!? ITMB, after only thirty years on the go, finally gets around to publishing a map of Canada. When we first started mapping, there was a pressing need for good maps of Central and South America, then of Africa, then etc et and we never found time to concentrate on our own country until fairly recently. This map was prepared by Natural Resources Canada and is, as a result, as accurate a map as one could hope to have. We are very proud of it, and very pleased to be able to use such top-rate cartography. The map covers all of the land mass of Canada, from its southernmost point to the top of Ellesmere Island and from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific. It’s an excellent map, but I’m going to give one proviso. Canada is the second-largest country on the face of the planet and there is no way that a single-sided sheet can portray a country this vast comprehensively. That said, it’s a great map. CMO doesn’t make a bad map. We published it because we feel that it fills a big niche. It shows major roads, rail lines, lots of urban areas (not just the big ones), major tourist sites and parks, world heritage sites, and it even includes St. Pierre et Miquelon, the French possession south of Newfoundland. It is printed on paper and is AVAILABLE!

Havana and Western Cuba Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2010 – This map is already at press, due in mid-August, and will be a double-sided map in this edition, with an updated Havana City on one side, and a lovely western portion of Cuba on the other. It should be quite popular.

Jordan and Syria Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2010 1:610,000/1:740,000 ISBN 9781553412748 UPC 815534127457 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP. This has proved to be our most popular eastern Mediterranean title over the years. The latest edition has fabulous new cover pictures (with a double-sided cover, so either side can be face outwards), has brand new and detailed inset maps of Amman and of Damascus, and has had its road system checked against several internet sources. This is a really good buy; two maps for the price of one, of two adjacent and complementary countries of equal touristic interest. AVAILABLE.

South America North Travel Reference Map (replacing South America North West) 5^th Ed. 2011 1:3,850,000 ISBN 9781553410782 UPC 815534107855 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP – This map is brand new and is another brilliant cartographic coup for Lan and our production staff. She has come up with a way to preserve the wonderfully detailed artwork of the original version first published in 1980 by Kevin Healey, the co-founder of ITMB, and subsequently published by ITMB in four succeeding updated editions. We retired the artwork several years ago, feeling that the market preferred more detailed country maps, but repeated requests for a map of this nature convinced us to have a look at it again. This map replaces the former map of North West South America at a better scale than was previously thought possible and with the additional benefit of covering ALL of the northern half of South America on a double sided sheet. We have also re-introduced the capsule comments so loved by map aficionados in past years. This map is ideal for travelers concentrating their activities on this part of South America. It is quite clear for a map of this scale, yet it contains a tremendous amount of information. It also graphically shows how few motorway-type roads there are in this part of the world. AVAILABLE.

South East Asia Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. 2010 1:4,000,000 ISBN 9781553410775 UPC 815534107770 S12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP. The part of the world from southern China, through the Indo-Chinese peninsula, and sweeping through the Indonesian archipelago to the hundreds of islands comprising the Philippines, is a fascinating part of the world to map. Countless cultures interact in this vast region – the mountain people along the Vietnamese/Laotian border, the fisherman of coastal regions and islands, the lovely and gentle Balinese, and the business-like Javanese. This is an extremely important part of the world – touristically attractive, economically thriving, and scenically unbeatable. This latest edition will be useful for anyone visiting the region. It is detailed, printed double-sided, and is AVAILABLE.

TITLES THAT ARRIVED IN OUR WAREHOUSE SO FAR THIS YEAR

Alberta Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:1,000,000 ISBN 9781553418122

Algeria Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:2,000,000 ISBN 9781553411062

Bahrain/Manama City Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:115,000/1:10,000 ISBN 9781553411246

Beijing and the Great Wall of China 3^rd Ed. 2010 1:23,000/1:280,000 ISNB 9781553416012

Botswana, including Zimbabwe, Travel Reference Map 5^th Ed. 2010 1:1,500,000 ISBN 9781553411475

Burundi, inc. Rwanda Travel Ref. Map 4^th Ed. 2010 – see Rwanda

Central Asia Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:2,400,000 ISBN 9781553410294

Chile & Argentina ITM Travel Atlas 1^st Ed. 2010 scale varies 114 pages ISBN 9781553410768

Earth Ball Inflatable Globe 16”/30cm marketed product ISBN 081539736264

Europe Railways Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2010 1:3,350,000 ISBN 978155341

Forbidden Plateau/Campbell River Topo/Rec Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:50,000 ISBN 9781553418115

Ho Chi Minh City/HCM Region Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2010 1:15,000/1:300,000 ISBN 9781553416395

Israel and Palestine Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2010 1:225,000 ISBN 9781553412601

Jakarta Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:21,000/1:75,000 ISBN 9781553416517

Japan Travel Reference Map 7^th Ed. 2010 1:1,100,000 ISBN 9781553416500

Lima and Central Peru Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2010 1:13,000/1:1,500,000 ISBN 9781553416562

Mexico Baja California Travel Reference Map 7^th Ed. 2010 1:650,000 ISBN 9781553415435

New Brunswick Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:350,000 ISBN 9781553418306

New Guinea Travel Ref. Map 2nd Ed. 2010 1:2M/1:1,650,000 ISBN 97881553413424

Prince Edward Island Travel Ref. Map 3^rd Ed. 2010 1:250,000 ISBN 9781553418368

Rio de Janeiro/Brasil East Coast 2^nd Ed. 2010 1:12,500/1:3M ISBN 9781553416845

Rwanda and Burundi Travel Ref. Map 4^th Ed. 2010 1:300,000 ISBN 9781553413820

Sao Paulo/Southern Brasil Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2010 1:12,500/1:2,200,000 ISBN 9781553416876

Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:1,350,000 ISBN 9781553412854

Uzbekistan Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2010 1:1,580,000 ISBN 9781553414551