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AXIS OF EVIL MAPPING NEWSLETTER # 4, May, 2008

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

The London Book Fair and our research trip to lovely Tunisia are now a distant memory, although we enjoyed meeting many colleagues at the trade show. We found that our map of Tunisia has held up pretty well and is one of the best on the market. However, Tunisia has also undertaken an impressive program of updating its road infrastructure, and most available maps are sadly out of date by several years. Marco Polo (Mairs) has recently released what appears to be the best map, but Michelin, Insight, Berndtson, GeoCenter UK and others really need to update their cartography for this progressive and touristicly important country.

Lan and I are now on the way to our next trade show, BookExpo USA, in the Los Angeles convention centre (oops, center), at the end of May. We are in Stand 2755 and hope to see as many interested parties as possible before June 1st. This is the largest English-language book fair in the world, with many travel book publishers represented, and most of the big American map and globe publishers. ITMB has exhibited at this show for the past decade to support our American distributors in marketing ITMB maps in that market, but we spend most of our time showing European and Latin American distributors our growing line (315 titles).

Alaska Cruise – The travel agent handling bookings has received several reservations, and I wish to emphasize that our allotment of held cabins will not be able to be extended. Order quickly; we can only hold them until the end of May. I appreciate that many will not have time for a cruise at this time, but it really is one of the great travel opportunities of our time to sail to Alaska, so I hope that as many people can enjoy the experience as possible.

Several hotel reservations have already been made. $189.00us may seem a tad high, but in Vancouver, in a 5***** hotel in the city centre a year before the Olympics, this is a steal. Even I’m considering booking a room, because I’ll never get this price again! Book soon; space is limited.

The ESRI and Avenza workshops are filling up fast. We have booked three spots for our staff. This is a REAL bargain for training staff affordably and one of the benefits of being an IMTA member.

The conference banquet, included in the registration fee for exhibitors, is scheduled for Monday evening, September 15th. It is worth being an exhibitor, just for the add-ons. The stand is only a couple of hundred bucks!

We were in England last week, and heard the following story, which is going the rounds. In the battle of Crecy, in 1346, English longbow men so decimated attacking French troops that they retreated - into the path of the advancing French cavalry, who, being blocked, started flailing away at their own troops in frustration at not being able to attack the English. As the French forces hacked away at each other, the bowmen calmly sent wave after wave of finely fletched arrows into the melee, effectively destroying both the French foot forces and cavalry. The English take a while to catch on to a good story. God knows when they’ll figure out WW11.

Andes Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:4,000,000 ISBN 9781553410669 UPC 815534106612 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP The South American version of the Rocky Mountains has different regional names but the western mountain chain is known world-wide as The Andes. Stretching from the Panama isthmus to Patagonia, this magnificent chain contains such wonders as Machu Picchu and the great glaciers of southern Chile. This map includes inset maps of La Paz, Lima, and Quito; printed double-sided on ITM waterproof paper; AVAILABLE.

Brasil Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. 2008, hard covered edition 1:2,220,000/1:4,500,000 ISBN 9781553411468 UPC 815534114686 $12.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP – This is the same map as on our already-released paper map of Brasil, but with a hard card-cover included for marketing purposes, especially in Europe. The fold of this version is wider than normal for ITMB, in that it conforms more to European widths than North American. The map is 5” wide instead of 4” as on other itmb maps. Still, it is a great title, and retailers love the durability of the hard cover; printed double-sided on paper, with cover AVAILABLE.

China East Half Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:3,000,000 ISBN 9781553410737 UPC 815534107374 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – China is growing rapidly in touristic interest. Although our map of the entire country is very popular, we felt that China needs more detailed sectional maps to portray its advantages to, frankly, best advantage. This map covers the coastal regions of China, and inland as far as Kunming and Chengdu. It is particularly good at showing China’s rapidly improving network of motorways that are transforming the country at an amazing rate. Inset maps of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong are included; printed double-sided on paper; AVAILABLE. China West Half is being prepared for release this summer; also China North East and China South East and China South.

92H2/H3 Manning Park/Skagit Region (BC) 1st Ed. 2008 1:50,000 ISBN 9781553418870 UPC 815534188755 $14.95cdn/us E8.95 6.99GBP waterproof – Manning Park is the heartland of Vancouver’s wilderness heritage. A huge tract of land east of the Fraser Valley has been preserved for future generations thanks to the foresight of our grandparents. Manning is hiking and canoeing in the summer and skiing, snowmobiling and snow camping in the winter. I remember camping with my son and a cub scout group in three metres/10 feet of pristine snow! This is the latest of ITMB’s growing series of governmental topographic maps with recreational information added (hiking trails, wilderness campsites, fishing areas, ski resorts, golf courses, snowmobile routes, picnic areas, and boat launching sites; printed double-sided on ITM plastic paper for durability; AVAILABLE.

Southern Africa Travel Reference Map 3^rd Ed. 2008 1:2,125,000 ISBN 9781553410287 UPC 815534102874 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP – Our map of the southern part of Africa, covering South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Lesotho, and southern Mozambique, is an excellent regional map for the most touristicly important part of the African continent. This updated version adds more information about road conditions, adds distances between communities, and corrects minor site locations; printed double-sided on ITM waterproof plastic paper; AVAILABLE.

Auckland and North Island, NZ, Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:12,000/1:950,000 ISBN 9781553417217 $12.95 cdn/us, E8.95/6.99GBP AVAILABLE.

France Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2008 1:1,000,000 ISBN 9781553412144 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP

Hue and Central Vietnam Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:330,000 ISBN 9781553415978 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP

India South and Northeast Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:2,300,000 ISBN 9781553410690 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP

Iran Travel Reference Map 4^th Ed. 2008 1:1,800,000 ISBN 9781553412502 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95, 6.99GBP

Kolkata/Calcutta & Northeast India Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:10,000/1:2,300,000 ISBN 9781553416111 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP

Iraq Travel Reference Map 3rd Ed. 2008 1:1,200,000 ISBN 9781553412540 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95/6.99GBP

Patagonia/Tierra del Fuego Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2008 1:2,000,000/1:750,000 ISBN 9781553410683 - $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP

Somalia/Djibouti Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2008 1:1,170,000 ISBN 9781553414056 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95, 6.99GBP

South America Travel Reference Map 5^th Ed. 2008 1:4,000,000 ISBN 9781553410089 $13.95cdn/us, E9.95, 7.50GBP

South America Wall Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:5,000,000 – paper = ISBN 9781553410096 $29.95cdn/us

South America Wall Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:5,000,000 – laminated = ISBN 9781553410119 $39.95cdn/us

South America Wall Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:5,000,000 – with hangers = ISBN 9781553410133 $49.95cdn/us

Vienna ITM City Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:10,500 ISBN 9781553417170 $10.95cdn/us E7.95/5.99GBP.

Taiwan and Taipei Travel Reference Map 2^nd Ed. 2008 ISBN 9781553417224 $12.95cdn/us, E8.95 6.99GBP

83DWells Gray Region/83D4Myrtle Lake 1^st Ed. 2008 1:250,000/1:50,000 ISBN 9781553418856 $14.95cdn/us, E9.95/7.99GBP

Whistler/sea to Sky Highway Travel Reference Map 1^st Ed. 2008 1:50,000/1:250,000 ISBN 9781553418924 $8.95cdn/us E7.95 5.99GBP.

Brisbane is at editorial checking stage and may be printed later in May, or early June.

Cairo is out of print. A new version is at press, for release in June, combined with the Nile delta.

India North and Northwest is approaching completion, but no ETA is available yet.

Jordan is out of print. A new edition is being prepared, for release in May, combined with Syria.

Mexico North Half is out of inventory. An updated edition is at press, for release in late May.

Namibia is once again out of inventory. An updated version of this popular title is at press; eta June.

Sri Lanka is out of print. A new double-sided edition is at press but no ETA is available at this moment.

BookExpo USA, Los Angeles May 30-June 1 – We will be at Stand 2755 with a big display of new titles issued since Frankfurt. As we’ll be driving to LA from Vancouver, we’ll be able to carry a wider selection of maps to show trade show attendees. Hope to see you there!

Tokyo International Book Fair July 10-13 – Yes, we’ll be in Japan for a week, researching proposed sectional maps of that country and IMTA has a stand at the TBF, so we’ll be there as well. Details follow.

IMTA World Mapping Conference "Mapping the Future" – Vancouver, Canada at the famous Hotel Vancouver in downtown Vancouver September 14-16, 2008, with Alaska cruises and RV rentals a possibility. This convention promises to be one of the most important, largest, and most exciting gatherings of the mapping industry in years! It’s SO big, even Nicolson Maps of Scotland plan on attending, and they NEVER spend a dime! Even Guenther Nelles might break down and attend, if he can persuade his boss (wife) to come along. You should come too. Nine exhibitors have signed up already, which is extraordinary. I’ll have lots more info in future newsletters.