NEWSLETTER NO. 5 OF 2010
AXIS OF EVIL MAPPING NEWSLETTER #
5 June, 2010
NEW TITLES FOR THIS MONTH!
British Columbia, Central Asia, Ho Chi Minh/Saigon, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Rio de Janeiro and Brasil East Coast, Rwanda and Burundi
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.
INTRODUCTION
Lan and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on the 19th of May. Yes, it’s true; she’s put up with me for longer than that, because I had to court her long distance for three years before she agreed to our joint venture arrangement, then another four months while the Government of Vietnam forced her to fill in 84 different forms. We were married in Hanoi on Ho Chi Minh’s birthday by the Attorney General of the country, and I had to return to Canada right away to begin the immigration processing formalities with my government, something that took another 11 months and three more trips to Vietnam to reassure a jittery bride. The day she arrived in Vancouver, we started working eleven-hour days (now down to eight), seven days a week. This month, we flew to Honolulu for a week away from business – our long-delayed honeymoon.
A CUTE STORY TO START THE NEWSLETTER
This was on last night’s national news. Apparently, a mother black bear and her two young cubs wandered into the back yard of a house in a town in Alaska. The mother spotted the large hot tub on the back porch, and climbed in for a refreshing soak in the cool water. The cubs romped happily in the yard, returning to mom every few minutes for a reassuring lick. This was all captured on a cell phone in camera mode by the householders, who wisely stayed inside. After half an hour of chilling out, hot mama climbed out of the tub, shook herself off, and wandered away with her cubs. How many of us can relate to that hot and harassed mother?
I READ IT IN THE PAPERS
Truth is stranger than fiction. A park worker, tidying up Central Park, discovered a wallet inside an old dead tree. All of the documentation was there, but no cash. The wallet went missing in 1982, twenty-seven years ago, and the owner still lived at the address noted on her ID.
The electric car is developing rapidly as a concept whose time appears to have come. Nissan is producing a commercial version in China, called the Leaf, and hopes to convert itself into the largest plug-in car company in the world within five years.
Aluminum cans for soft drinks and beer started in 1964. Today, about 900,000,000 cans are produced annually, of which only about half are recycled. I guess recycling still has a way to go!
The most commonly eaten meat in the world has, today as well as throughout history, been pork. In the USA, pork consumption annually is 48.2 pounds per person, which sounds like an enormous amount until one considers how many Bacon and Egg McMuffins are consumed daily! And how about that Grand Slam, with its four rashers per plate?
CONDOLENCES
We wish to express our sympathy towards Kerstin Borch, head of Borch Verlag of Germany, for the recent loss of her father, and the extended illness of her brother, Marcus, who has had to suspend his Pocket Pilot publishing business due to ill health.
MAPLINE 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. Omni Resources is doing a good job, but Treaty Oak is gone, Mapsco is gone, Langenscheidt is staggering, and Map Link is, well, Map Link. 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. Here’s the new and improved map supply and distribution firm:
MapLine
Jiri Navratil has been persuaded to sell his map distribution business in Prague to his long-time associate David, and move to Vancouver. Jiri is one of the most experienced distributors in the world, and is thrilled by the prospect of reviving map distribution in Canada and the USA. He has set up his own business, Mapline Distribution, within our offices in Richmond, and is starting to gather together a coterie of publishing houses to represent. He has established a presence in the USA, with a post office address in Point Roberts, WA, and has figured out a way to transport goods across the border so American customers don’t have to worry about Customs clearance or brokerage charges. Orders can still be faxed to MapLine at 1 604 273-1488, or sent to mapline@itmb.com. The phone number remains the same, at 1 604 273-1400, and the staff remains the same, including myself.
The reality of my life is that ITMB has become such a demanding mistress as it has grown larger that I can no longer control all the different activities and give proper attention to publishing, dealing with ITMB distributors, marketing a dozen publishing lines, and managing a large retail store. Each of these functions requires 100% of dedicated time. Distribution can best be done by dedicated attention, and I’ve done that for twenty-five years, but I have to make a choice – either concentrate on publishing new and wonderful maps or concentrate on reviving map distribution. With Jiri becoming available, I want to create maps that retailers can sell. They may be local recreation titles such as the Cape Scott trail, or North American theme maps such as Route 66, or interesting thematic maps on the battlefields of Europe, or international titles like Caribbean Cruise Routes, or The Black Sea, or Siberia, or an exciting new portrayal of the northern half of South America. Whatever the titles, they take time to research, and concentrated effort to prepare. With Jiri increasingly taking on more distribution responsibilities, I can concentrate more on improving South America (my current project) and speeding up the development of Turkey, and working on the Congo data base.
Initially, MapLine will be marketing ITMB, Borch, Freytag & Berndt, Nelles, and Ordnance Survey, using inventory already in our system. Soon, Franko Maps, G.M. Johnson, and other quality lines will be added. Our 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!
NEW ITMB ARTWORK UNDER DEVELOPMENT or AT PRESS
We’re experiencing interesting times. After two years of seeing increasingly modest orders coming in, we’re suddenly experiencing significantly larger orders. Now, I’m not complaining, but there is a side effect to larger orders – we are tending to run out of certain titles more quickly than planned or expected, which are based upon sales over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, there isn’t any easy way to fast-track the updating process. Not only are there changes to add, and new information to fit in to the already crowded artwork, but the technology used to create digital artwork has changed significantly over the past three years, and most of our artwork has to be converted into this ‘new’ technology, and this takes time. We’re working as fast as we can to keep our product line accurate, attractive, and up-to-date. Please be patient if a particular title is unavailable.
Australia suddenly ran out of inventory due to a large order. We have updated the artwork (no great changes) and have sent the map files to the printer. We hope to have this popular title available again in July.
Bahamas is out of stock and is being re-drawn digitally. This will take several months, but is underway.
Canada, a new map, is at press and expected in July.
Dominican Republic and Haiti is out of stock, but is being updated. No ETA is available at the moment.
Eastern Canada is out of print. No decisions have yet been made on its future.
Havana is out of stock and is being updated and re-worked into a double-sided map, with the western portion of the island of Cuba being on the other side. It should be available in September.
Jasper National Park (Canada) is now out of copies. It will be re-worked into a new double-sided map for release in the spring of 2011.
Jordan and Syria is out of inventory but has been updated and is at press. It should be available in late July.
Kyoto and Nara has run out of copies recently. It is being updated and re-worked into a double-sided map, with a portion of Japan detailed on the reverse side. It should be available again in September.
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 has recently run out of inventory. It is being moved to a new platform language in a modernization process, as well as being updated, so will be unavailable until September or October.
South America North, the replacement title for South America North West, is approaching completion. It should go to press in a week or so and be available sometime in July.
South East Asia is out of stock but is at the printers. We’re hoping for an early July release.
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.
Turkey is still in the development stage. I get asked about this title regularly. Map production works at its own pace, frustratingly, and I’ve never been able to understand why some maps take years to produce and others take a couple of months. This one has taken three years to date to get to where it is, and we’re still working on it.
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. These tasks take months to complete.
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 April, May, and early June 2010
Bahrain/Manama City Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:115,000/1:10,000 ISBN 9781553411246 UPC 815534112422 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – The Middle East is not only one of the focal points of world political attention, it is a rapidly developing business and touristic centre as well. Our version of this interesting island sheikdom divides the sheet into two equal halves, one with a detailed map of the entire territory, and the other concentrating on the capital city of Manama. As with all of ITMB’s Middle Eastern series, this map is extremely detailed and not only up to date but showing projected developments well into the future. This small but strategic country is developing very quickly and, to the best of my knowledge, there is no up to date map of Bahrain, apart from this. Printed on paper, single-sided, AVAILABLE
British Columbia Travel Reference Map 7th 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.
Burundi Travel Reference Map 4th Ed. 2010 – see Rwanda and Burundi, below
Canada Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:6,000,000 – is at press and expected in July.
Central Asia Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:2,400,000 ISBN 9781553410294 UPC 815534102973 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s created several independent nations in the ‘soft underbelly’ of mother Russia. Thus far, these new nations have been feeling their way into a new, more commercial, reality. Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan have developed significant tourism potential, and even the more easterly states of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, which are in my opinion the most scenic countries in Central Asia, are proving to be welcoming of exploring visitors. This is a travel destination unlike any other and this double-sided map, covering from the Aral Sea to the Himalaya chain, is just the map to use to explore this fascinating part of our world. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.
Forbidden Plateau/Campbell River(BC) Travel Topo/rec map 92F1 and F14 1st Ed. 2010 1:50,000 ISBN 9781553418115 UPC 815534181152 $11.95cdn/us, E6.95 6.99GBP – British Columbia’s Vancouver Island is a treasure trove of mountains and valleys waiting to be explored. The plateau, on the eastern side of the island, is neither forbidden nor formidable, but a major hiking and recreation area for local residents and visitors. Using Canada’s NTS topographic maps as a base, and adding all the touristic and outdoors activities we could find, we have created a double-sided map of two adjacent recreational areas. Campbell River itself is a fairly small, but attractive town. The map, however, is of the region west of the town, not particularly of the town itself, so both sides concentrate on the touristic potential. This is ITMB’s latest creation for BC, intending to provide top-level cartography along with up to date recreational and cultural information for everyone’s benefit. AVAILABLE
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Region Travel Reference Map 3rd Ed. 2010 1:15,000/1:300,000 ISBN 9781553416395 UPC 815534163929 $10.95cdn/us, E6.95 6.99GBP – Old Saigon has morphed into new HCM. As Vietnam moves into greater economic prosperity, the urban expansion of the country’s largest city has been explosive. Saigon still exists, much as the City of London still exists, but it is only a portion of the urban area now. Ho Chi Minh City is actually a regional, or provincial, authority, covering an area far larger than the urban area itself. On this new edition of HCM, we have introduced a new map on the reverse side of the city map to cover the entire region of southern Vietnam centred by the city. This offers users a real advantage, in that the city map itself, useful though it may be, does not meet all of the needs of tourists by itself. Most visitors to HCM also want to see the Cao Dai religious centre in nearby Tay Ninh, or spend time at the seaside resort of Vung Tau, or explore the various tributaries of the Mekong River. Thus, the regional map is a significant improvement to the city map, and brings this title into line with our other Vietnamese city maps, Hue Region and Hanoi and Region. AVAILABLE.
Japan Travel Reference Map 7th Ed. 2010 1:1,100,000 waterproof ISBN 9781553416500 UPC 815534165039 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – It is becoming difficult to think of anything new to say about our very popular map of Japan. Now into its 7th Edition, we’ve added new information about the steady improvements to the Shinkamsen rail network and to the motorway system. Later this year, we plan on issuing two new maps of sections of Japan, as it is becoming increasingly difficult to portray all the treasures of this beautiful island on one sheet of paper. Printed on ITM plastic paper, double-sided, AVAILABLE.
Jordan and Syria is at press and expected sometime in July.
New Brunswick Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:350,000 ISBN 9781553418306 UPC 815534183019 $10.95cdn/us, E7.95 7.99GBP – The Canadian province of New Brunswick, called Acadia by its original French settlers, is perhaps best known for being the source of the famous epic poem Evangeline. It is also the home of the Cajun people. The British, unfairly regarding the Acadians (Cajuns), expelled thousands of them to French-controlled Louisiana in the mid-1750s. Some Acadians made the long trek back to the land they considered ‘home’, while many others re-built their lives in New Orleans. Today, the province is an industrious mix of French and English Canadians, sharing a land steeped in history. NB, for short, is the link between Central Canada and the Maritime Provinces. Historic Fredericton, Saint John, and St. Stephen retain many of the buildings built by loyalists fleeing the terror of the colonial revolution in what was to become the USA. The Bay of Fundy tidal bore and the amazing ‘magnetic’ hill that ‘tows’ cars uphill (go see for yourself) are two of the attractions of this interesting part of Canada. This map also completes our ITM mapping of each of the ten provinces and three territories of Canada. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.
New Guinea Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2010 1:2M/1:1,650T ISBN 9781553413424 UPC 815534134233 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – This is the replacement map for our former Papua New Guinea map. It has a similar cover picture, but for this edition, we have added the rest of the island, the Indonesian province of West Irian, to the other side of the paper, creating a complete island map (much as we did with Borneo and Dominican Republic/Haiti). This map also includes some of the islands west of New Guinea, including the newly independent country of East Timor (not in great detail, but it’s there). Naturally, the Papua side has been updated cartographically, and is MUCH more developed than the western side, but to me the real significance of this title is that one of the largest islands in the world is now completely mapped for the first time ever. This is the first new map of West Irian province for years, and adds interesting Indonesian islands from the Ceram Sea area, such as Anbom and Hatta to ITM’s detailed coverage of Indonesia. Printed on paper, double-sided, AVAILABLE
Prince Edward Island Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2010 1:250/50,000 NTS 11L/11L6 ISBN 9781553418368 UPC 815534183606 $7.95cdn/us, E6.95 6.99GBP – It has been a long time coming, but our ITM map of Canada’s smallest province geographically has finally been completed. In this version, we are using Natural Resources Canada NTS topography as our base, so the map is incredibly detailed and survey-accurate. PEI is an island east of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and is now joined to the mainland by one of the longest bridges in the world. PEI was a separate colony, like the other colonies that joined together to create modern Canada in 1867. PEI joined in 1873, two years after British Columbia, but it remains the cradle of Confederation, thanks to the pivotal meeting held in its capital, Charlottetown, in 1864. The island is also home to the immortal Anne of Green Gables, the heroine of the novel by L.M. Montgomery that is so famous that the Cavendish homestead used as the model for the book is now a National Park. This is a very special part of Canada, and one of our most visited provinces – a ‘must see’ destination for anyone touring Atlantic Canada. Printed on paper, with the entire province at 1:250,000 scale on one side, and a detailed 1:50,000 scale map of Charlottetown and surrounding area on the other side. Naturally, all touristic attractions are shown in great detail. AVAILABLE.
Rio de Janeiro & Brasil East Coast Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2010 waterproof 1:12,500/1:3,000,000 ISBN 9781553416845 UPC 815534168481 $10.95cdn/us, E7.95 7.99GBP – Rio is the site of the Summer Olympic Games in 2016. As such, it is bound to become even better-known and more visited as the Games approach. The city itself, with its Sugar Loaf Mountain, its carnival atmosphere, and its marvelous beaches, is already the most visited city in South America. This new edition not only updates and adds more information about Rio, and details the Olympic sites, but includes for the first time a major improvement for visitors. Anyone coming to Rio probably also wants to see the surrounding countryside, but not necessarily all of Brasil, so we have created a detailed map of the coastal area of Brasil, from Porto Alegre in the south to Fortaleza in the north, and extending inland to include Sao Paulo, Brasilia, and Belo Horizonte. An inset map of Sao Paulo is also included. Printed on durable ITM waterproof plastic paper, printed double-sided, this map is a bargain and is AVAILABLE.
Rwanda and Burundi Travel Reference Map 4th Ed. 2010 1:300,000 ISBN 9781553413820 UPC 815534138224 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – The two central African countries of Rwanda and Burundi are gradually returning to prosperity. They are both very interesting countries, scenically attractive, and relatively untouched by modernism. Both have suffered serious unrest in the past, but have moved on and are determined to have a bright and happy future. The people are marvelous; one can’t express in a brief paragraph the warmth and friendliness of the ordinary people of both countries. This is really a part of Africa everyone should visit. It’s a very special place, and I’m pleased to introduce the latest edition of an excellent map for two of my favourite places. As with past editions, this is actually two completely separate maps, with Rwanda on one side and Burundi on the other. There are two different covers, so the map can be displayed with either country’s name facing outwards. It also has our traditional spine listing for those retailers who store maps in drawers. AVAILABLE.
South East Asia Travel Reference Map is at press, and expected in July.
West Coast Trail/Carmanah Valley Travel Reference Map 4th Ed. 2010 1:50,000 ISBN 9781553418948 UPC 815534189486 $11.95cdn/us, E6.96 6.99GBP – This is actually completely new artwork, thanks to ITMB’s relationship with the Canadian government’s mapping office. We have replaced our earlier artwork with detailed NTS cartography that is superbly precise, and overlaid it with trail and camping facilities. In this map, we cover not only the renowned WCT itself, but the fabulous Carmanah old-growth forest in the interior of Vancouver Island, and the Broken Islands Group, part of the Pacific Rim National Park complex. This is truly a marvelous map of part of the west coast region of BC’s wonderful Vancouver Island. AVAILABLE
TITLES THAT ARRIVED IN OUR WAREHOUSE FAIRLY RECENTLY
Alberta Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:1,00,000 ISBN 9781553418122
Algeria Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:2,000,000 ISBN 9781553411062
Beijing and the Great Wall of China 3rd Ed. 2010 1:23,000/1:280,000 ISNB 9781553416012
Botswana, including Zimbabwe, Travel Reference Map 5th Ed. 2010 1:1,500,000 ISBN 9781553411475
Chile & Argentina ITM Travel Atlas 1st Ed. 2010 scale varies 114 pages ISBN 9781553410768
Earth Ball Inflatable Globe 16”/30cm marketed product ISBN 081539736264
Europe Railways Travel Reference Map 3rd Ed. 2010 1:3,350,000 ISBN 978155341
Israel and Palestine Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2010 1:225,000 ISBN 9781553412601
Jakarta Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:21,000/1:75,000 ISBN 9781553416517
Lima and Central Peru Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2010 1:13,000/1:1,500,000 ISBN 9781553416562
Mexico Baja California Travel Reference Map 7th Ed. 2010 1:650,000 ISBN 9781553415435
Sao Paulo/Southern Brasil Travel Reference Map 2nd Ed. 2010 1:12,500/1:2,200,000 ISBN 9781553416876
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:1,350,000 ISBN 9781553412854
Uzbekistan Travel Reference Map 1st Ed. 2010 1:1,580,000 ISBN 9781553414551