NEWSLETTER NO. 3 OF 2011

AXIS OF EVIL MAPPING NEWSLETTER #3: March, 2011

NEW TITLES FOR THIS MONTH!

We have no new titles for this month, although we have several at press and expected in early April

The Axis of Evil Mapping Newsletter is released irregularly. If you are not interested in receiving this newsletter, please email itmb@itmb.com. Any opinions expressed are strictly those of myself and are not intended to provoke anything more than the intellect.

INTRODUCTION

            This month Lan and I fly to Britain for an extended business and pleasure trip that will be focussing on Scotland (our most popular European title) and the London Book Fair. Last year’s LBF was sadly affected by the volcanic eruptions in Iceland that decimated air travel, mine included, so this year, we have to see everyone twice to make up! We’ll be sharing a stand with Global Mapping, in the Travel Section, at Earl’s Court, starting Monday, April 11^th.

I’m making this a shorter newsletter than usual, because the news I’m gathering about new developments in the map trade can wait a month, and ITMB hasn’t released any titles this month. We’ve been busy, working on a number of new titles, as well as new artwork for existing titles. We’ll have more information at LBF, and in the next Axis newsletter at the end of April.

NEW ITMB ARTWORK UNDER DEVELOPMENT or AT PRESS

            We are catching up on the backlog of titles needing revising and reprinting.

Laos/Cambodia is running out of copies. A new edition should be available in April.

Moscow is out of stock and is being updated. No ETA is available for its return.

Puerto Rico is out of stock and is being updated for a new edition for release in April.

Romania is out of stock. A new map of Romania/Moldova is being prepared; no ETA is known.

Uganda is out of copies. A new edition is being prepared.

NEW TITLES January, February, and March, 2011

Afghanistan Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2011 ISBN 9781553411031 UPC 815534110312 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – Afghanistan is a lovely country, and is slowly coming out of an extremely bad situation. It is still quite an unsafe country, and fighting could flare up again in the spring. Regardless, it is a strategically important country, and one that ITMB has taken quite a bit of effort to make into a significant map. This is essentially a reprint of the previous edition. Not only is there little change occuring, but the previous edition was prepared relatively recently, so there hasn’t been enough time for change to occur. AVAILABLE

Alaska/Dempster Highways Travel Atlas – is at press and expected at the end of April.

Barbados Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2^nd Ed. 2011 1:60,000 ISBN 9781553411253 UPC 815534112507 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – ITMB first published a map of Barbados a number of years ago. We withdrew it from sale to avoid legal complications. Thanks to satellite imagery, we are now able to re-introduce a completely new map of this popular travel destination at an excellent scale, with an inset map of Bridgetown, using our own digital data base files. Barbados is a very friendly island, with its historic capital of Bridgetown providing a ‘touch’ of old Britain, while providing the best shopping in the Caribbean. This map continues ITMB’s development of new cartography for the entire Caribbean area. Printed on paper, single-sided, AVAILABLE.

Ecuador Travel Reference Map 6^th Ed. 2011 1:660,000 on waterproof paper ISBN 9781553412007 UPC 815534120014 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP - This is a relatively minor updated version of our popular double-sided map of Ecuador. We have added capsule comments and simplified the road classifications and split the inset map of Quito into two parts. Printing on ITM plastic paper will also increase its durability. Printed double-sided on ITM plastic; AVAILABLE.

Estonia and Tallinn Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2011 1:400,000/8,000 ISBN 9781553412045 UPC 815534120441 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – Every so often, Lan likes to throw me a curve ball and unexpectedly I find a title returning from press that I didn’t even know we were working on! This is one such case, but I’m very pleased to see Estonia back in print. This country is emerging into the mainstream of European consciousness very quickly. Its economy is so strong that it is the first of the former Eastern European countries to reach the level justifying being welcomed into the Euro currency. The map has been completely updated, and our Tallinn map has also been revised and placed on the reverse side; printed on paper, double-sided. AVAILABLE

Ethiopia Travel Reference Map 5^th Ed. 2011 1:2,000,000 ISBN 9781553412083 UPC 815534120878 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – Ethiopia is one of the most interesting countries to visit. It was romanticized by the Romans and has been a historically significant country for centuries. I was most impressed by the rock churches of Lalibela, the Blue Nile Falls near Bahar Dar, and the giant obelisks in Axum. In this newly-updated edition, we have tried to show current border crossings, although these are very subject to change, and road conditions, as well as improving the inset of Addis. Printed on paper, single-sided; AVAILABLE.

Ghana Travel Reference Map 6^th Ed. 2011 1:500,000 ISBN 9781553412168 UPC 815534121684 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – Ghana is a lovely place, but mapping it accurately has been frustrating for us for years. With each new edition, we piece together the tidbits gleaned from travellers and users, discount the lies put forth by government officials and do our best to improve. Thanks to a lot of assistance by persons who wish to remain in the background, we have been able to make major modifications to this edition to, hopefully, bring this country’s mapping closer to reality than has previously been possible. As well, we have re-done the inset maps of Accra, Cape Coast, and Kumasi. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Iraq and Baghdad Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. (2^nd for Baghdad) 1:1,200,000/125,000 ISBN 9781553412366 UPC 815534123626 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP – As Iraq gradually settles down, it will be possible for visitors to return in bulk. At the moment, only the Kurdish-controlled north could be considered ‘safe’, and tourism is growing. Two international airports already receive planeloads of visitors from Europe, and the border with Turkey is one of the busiest crossing points in the world. ITMB has been involved with mapping Iraq since before the first Gulf War, when we provided the only map of Iraq then in print. By the time of the second war, commonly called the Iraq War (or George Bush’s Folly, if you prefer), ITMB had a more sophisticated map, but one that had to be prepared under extremely trying circumstances. The third edition came out after the ‘allies’ (read Americans) had occupied the country, but before it was safe for anyone but the most foolhardy to go there. This edition updates and improves upon all earlier editions. AVAILABLE.

Israel/Palestine Travel Reference Map 2^nd Printing 2^nd Ed. 2011 1:225,000 ISBN 9781553412601 UPC 815534126054 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP - This is a reprint of the map we published last year, with no changes except the printing date. We experienced extremely high sales for this title in 2010, and simply ran out of copies much faster than expected. There is no change of ISBN or price. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Libya and Tunisia Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. (Libya) 2^nd Ed (Tunisia) 1:1,650,000/1:800,000 ISBN 9781553413028 UPC 815534130242 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP See Tunisia for info. AVAILABLE

Mali Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2011 1:1,700,000 ISBN 9781553413165 UPC 815534131645 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – This is an updated map, with improved emphasis on touristic information. Mali has a reasonably good road network, and seems to have avoided the religious fanaticism that has so damaged Ivory Coast. Although this is not a ‘significant’ alteration from the previous edition, it has a new ISBN; printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Mississippi River States/Central USA is AVAILABLE. See USA Central/Mississippi, below.

Patagonia/Tierra del Fuego Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2011 1:2,000,000/750,000 ISBN 9781553410805 UPC 815534108074 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP  - I am very happy to see this title back in print. Argentinean Patagonia is undergoing enormous improvements to its infrastructure, as was quite evident to Lan and myself during our recent driving trip from Ushuaia to Bariloche and back. New paved roads are under construction everywhere, and every map we found is out of date. Large stretches of famed Hwy 40 have now been paved, and new cross-highways are either paved or in the process of paving all over the territory. It sure helps that the country’s president is from Santa Cruz Province! Chilean Patagonia ( or more properly the Austral) is also seeing much-needed road improvements. The Tierra del Fuego island area is also seeing massive improvements, with a new airport, cruise ship facility, and a fully-paved highway to the Chilean border. It took us quite a bit of time to add all the new information to our map, but the time was well-spent. This is a great improvement upon the previous edition; printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Queen Charlotte/Haida Gwaii – is at press and expected in mid-April

Route 66 Travel Atlas – is at press and expected in mid-April

Russia Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. 2011 1:6,000,000 ISBN 9781553413868 UPC 815534138651 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – This latest update is a minor one, due to the scale of Russia, but there are major new improvements to their infrastructure that are important. Russia still has a ways to go to become a ‘visitor friendly’ country, but gradually modern attributes are embedded and make Russia a more attractive destination. This edition has a new cover and ISBN, but is still printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Santiago and Central Chile – is at press and expected at the end of April

South Korea/Seoul Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2011 1:550,000/15,000 ISBN 9781553412762 UPC 815534127617 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – This is another title that had been printed fairly recently and proved to be more popular than expected, so ran out of copies somewhat sooner than expected. As a result, although there are some minor cosmetic changes, this is essentially a reprint of the previous map, with the date of 2011 being noted to differentiate the two printings. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Tanzania Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. 2011 1:1,370,000 ISBN 9781553414353 UPC 815534143570 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – East Africa is one of the gems of eco-tourism, with its well-protected national parks and wildlife preserves. Tanzania is the best of the region, hosting the massive Serengeti Preserve, Mount Kilimanjaro, the amazingly fertile Ngorogoro Crater. Lake Nanyiki, and the vast grasslands of Selous. These are all shown on our map, as well as Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika, with roads, petrol stations, accommodation, and medical clinics included, whenever known. The map has an excellent inset map of Dar es Salaam, and insets of Arusha and Stone Town in Zanzibar. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.

Tokyo/Central Japan Travel Reference Map 2^nd Printing 2^nd Ed. 2011 1:15,000/800,000 on waterproof paper ISBN 9781553417347 UPC 8155341173485 $10.95cdn/us E6.95 6.99GBP – This is a reprint of the map we updated and published a few months ago. Due to exceptionally high demand, we ran out of copies much more quickly than we anticipated. Although we reviewed the artwork, we found no changes necessary, so re-issued a 2^nd printing with the same ISBN, and price. Printed double-sided on ITM plastic; AVAILABLE.

Trinidad and Tobago Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2011 1:150,000 ISBN 9781553417248 UPC 815534172402 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – This is our newest map for the Caribbean region and essentially replaces the now-defunct Rough Guide map for this country.  Trinidad has a chequered history. First ‘discovered’ by Columbus, and named Holy Trinity, its inhabitants were fairly quickly deported as slaves to work in Spanish colonies elsewhere. Sir Walter Raleigh, who was little more than a pirate in spite of later saving England from the Spanish Armada, sacked the only Spanish settlement in 1595. Britain captured the island in 1797, adding Tobago to its administration in 1889. The country’s two claims to fame are the largest Carnival street festival in the world, and having the world’s largest lake of boiling asphalt. Tobago has an amazing history, having changed colonial masters 30 times in a century, as Britain, France, and Spain competed for dominance in the Caribbean. Nowadays, both islands are tourist havens, with delightful caves to explore on Trinidad and scuba diving on Tobago. This is a very detailed map, printed on paper, single-sided; AVAILABLE.

Tunisia and Libya Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. (Libya) 2^nd Ed. (Tunisia) 1:1,650,000/1:800,000 ISBN 9781553413028 UPC 815534130242 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 7.99GBP - The recent ‘jasmine revolution’ brings real-life reality very close to our consciousness. It is fitting that a new map of Tunisia is coming out just at this momentous time of the country’s long history, as the country has long been seen as a small but stable fortress in the sea of shifting sand known as North Africa. Having visited the country, I wish its inhabitants well as they undertake the next leg of their political development, and hope that the ‘revolution’ won’t be hijacked by extremist elements. This map benefits from the research Lan and I were able to carry out during our recent visit to Tunisia. We were able to confirm a lot of road information, and improve our information on this map The map also now includes several text blocks we call capsule comments, describing in words certain brief facts about points of interest in the country. We have combined Tunisia and Libya into a double-sided map, with two covers. We still have some inventory of Libya by itself, so will constrain comment about the Libyan portion of this map until a later date. Printed double-sided on paper; AVAILABLE.

Turkey Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2011 1^st Ed. 2011 1:100,000 ISBN 9781553414407 UPC 815534144034 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – Finally! We have been working on a map of Turkey for years. It is actually a very difficult country to map, if you hope to include quite a bit of detail on the artwork, because it is a country with one huge city and thousands of little villages. We have shown all the major roads, touristic sites etc., and have included a very good map of central Istanbul as an inset. Turkey is not only crucially strategic, it is also a very BIG country. We divided it into western/eastern portions to get the best scale possible, and believe me, the place names index occupies more of the paper than on any other map we’ve ever published. I sure hope everything’s spelled correctly, because it took weeks to type all those names! Having just been to the Antalya region very recently, I found the map to be quite accurate for wherever we drove. My one complaint is that Turkey is too large a country to map in detail and show everything in large-enough scale. As a result, even I had to hunt to find Myra, and I’d been there only a week ago! This is a spectacular-looking map, GIS-based and incredibly detailed. Printed double-sided on paper, AVAILABLE.

USA Central/Mississippi River States Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2011 1:1,840,000 ISBN 9781553419051 UPC 815534190574 $7.95cdn/us, E7.95 6.99GBP – ITMB’s coverage of the USA is steadily expanding. This particular map follows the course of the great Mississippi River from is headwaters in the northern US to its mouth in New Orleans. By the nature of its vast area of drainage, which corresponds to the former French domain of Louisiana (purchased by the USA in 1803), the land includes some of the most famous historic sites in America, all of which are included on this map. Seventeen States are included on this double-sided map, and while “ol’ Miss” is closely associated with the southern States (riverboats, cotton, the civil war), it is equally associated with the western expansion of America beyond the original thirteen colonies east of the Appalachians and the eventful thrust westwards into the grand prairie region of buffaloes and warrior tribes. This is a very exciting part of American history, captured on paper as a map. It is incredibly detailed, and if you ever wondered where the Bluewater Battlefield is located, it’s on the map (Nebraska, by the way). This map is dedicated to Florence, of La Cartotheque, whose expressive Gallic enthusiasm for a map of the Louisiana Purchase so impressed Lan that our staff devoted the next year and a half to creating this map; printed double-sided on paper, AVAILABLE.

Vancouver Northshore Hiking Trails and Northshore Mountains – is at press and due in early April.

Vietnam – is at press and expected by the end of April

Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2011 1:1,250,000 ISBN 9781553410812 UPC 815534108159 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 7.99GBP – The Indochinese Peninsula is one of the world’s treasure troves of cultural diversity and historical activity. In the north are the hill tribes of Laos and Vietnam. Along the coast are the Viet people, and in the south the huge cultural area of Khmer influence – from Angkor Wat to the Cham ruins in the southeast of Vietnam. The Plain of Jars, in Laos remains one of the most intriguing puzzles of the modern world, and the temples of Louang Phabang are renowned. This map shows all of these wonders and many more. This is a very detailed map, prepared in the region, and showing just about anything a visitor would want in a map. Printed on paper, double-sided; AVAILABLE.