The Letterboxer's Companion

The Letterboxer's Companion
by Randy Hall

The Letterboxer's Companion
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $9.00
You Save: $5.95 (40%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.79 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


or

Book Summary Information

Author: Randy Hall
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-11-01
ISBN: 0762727942
Number of pages: 112
Publisher: Falcon

Book Reviews of The Letterboxer's Companion

Book Review: Who'd'a thunk?? There's treasure in them thar hills ...
Summary: 5 Stars

Well shut my mouth. Here's an application for physically active rubber stampers that was completely unknown to me until I picked up this book on a library display shelf. Letterboxing is in the same family of hobbies as geocaching, where enthusiasts use their GPS (global positioning systems) to track down treasures hidden by other enthusiasts somewhere in the countryside. Letterboxing is geocaching's Luddite cousin, as all you need is the clues and a compass. You might go to a letterboxing website, find out about letterboxes hidden in your area, read the clues, and take off on an entertaining day hike with a "pot of gold" at the end. When you find the treasure, which can consist of a logbook and a rubber stamp in a small Tupperware container "under the rock at the end of the fence," for example, you stamp your own signature stamp in the letterbox's logbook, stamp the letterbox's rubber stamp into your own logbook, then replace everything exactly for the next treasure seeker.

The author has done a great job of introducing this fast-growing sport, which is new to the U.S. in the past decade or so. The instructions on using a compass and triangulating kind of threw me, so if I go off on a letterboxing hike, I'll need someone who knows how to use a compass to go with me and explain it.

But otherwise, the book is a quick read, tells how to get started, how to carve your signature stamp, letterboxing etiquette, and answers frequently asked questions while assiduously avoiding spoilers or giving away too much. There's plenty here, including web resources, to arouse curiosity and interest in the activity, one about which I myself knew absolutely nothing before picking up this charming book. Really a good job for the first U.S. book on the subject.

Summary of The Letterboxer's Companion

Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of hiking, puzzle solving, treasure hunting, and rubber stamp artistry, topped off with the thrill of discovery. The basic idea is simple. Clues, usually posted on a web site, will lead the person who correctly follows them to the secret location of a "letterbox." The letterbox contains a unique rubber stamp and a logbook. The searcher carries a personal rubber stamp and logbook. When the letterbox is found, its finder stamps the box's logbook with his or her personal stamp, and stamps the personal logbook with the stamp in the letterbox. The letterbox is then secreted away again.

There is something for everyone in this quaint, Old World pastime. Artists and writers enjoy the opportunity to express themselves in their stamps and clues, while hikers and outdoor adventurers have found this an excellent way to share their special places with others. Letterboxing has been used for education, teambuilding, and as a way to explore a community's heritage.

The Letterboxer's Companion is a complete introduction to letterboxing. It includes a history of letterboxing, instructions on making personal stamps and letterboxes, letterboxing etiquette and conventions, basic land navigation teckniques, writing and following clues--everything the aspiring letterboxer needs to get started in this fascinating, family-friendly pastime.

Children's Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in Children's Books
Looking for Bobowicz: A Hoboken Chicken Story ImageLooking for Bobowicz: A Hoboken Chicken Story
by Daniel Pinkwater
HarperCollins; Published: 2004-06-01; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $4.98
Price in other shops: $16.89
The Magician's Nephew, Color Gift Edition (Narnia) ImageThe Magician's Nephew, Color Gift Edition (Narnia)
by C. S. Lewis
HarperCollins Narnia; Published: 2003-10-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.45
Price in other shops: $19.99
My Book About Me (Beginner Books) ImageMy Book About Me (Beginner Books)
by Dr Seuss
Harpercollins; Published: 1983-03-24; Paperback; Book
Call of the Wild (Hrw Classics Library) ImageCall of the Wild (Hrw Classics Library)
by Jack London
Holt Rinehart and Winston; Published: 1997-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.32
Price in other shops: $17.00
Apple Valley Year ImageApple Valley Year
by Ann Turner
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1993-09-30; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $14.95
The Tales of Olga da Polga ImageThe Tales of Olga da Polga
by Michael Bond
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Published: 1989-04-30; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $83.57
The Complete Chronicles of Narnia ImageThe Complete Chronicles of Narnia
by C. S. (Clive Staples) Lewis
HarperCollins Children's Books; Published: 2006-11; Hardcover; Book
Price in other shops: $165.00
How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? ImageHow Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?
by Jane Yolen
Harpercollins Childs; Published: 2004-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.59
Oh, The Places You'll Go! ImageOh, The Places You'll Go!
by Dr Seuss
HARPER COLL CHILDREN; Published: 2003; Paperback; Book
Lorax ImageLorax
by Dr Seuss
HARPER COLL CHILDREN; Published: 2004; Paperback; Book
Similar Books and other products
Nano Geocache Container (Cachemark) - Black ImageNano Geocache Container (Cachemark) - Black
Cachemark; Cachemark; Sports
Best price: $2.99
The Joy of Geocaching: How to Find Health, Happiness and Creative Energy Through a Worldwide Treasure Hunt ImageThe Joy of Geocaching: How to Find Health, Happiness and Creative Energy Through a Worldwide Treasure Hunt
by Paul Gillin, Dana Gillin
Linden Publishing; Published: 2010-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.00
Price in other shops: $16.95
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, 2nd Edition ImageThe Complete Idiot's Guide to Geocaching, 2nd Edition
by The Editors & Staff of Geocaching.com
Alpha; Published: 2009-05-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops: $16.95
Suunto A-10 Compass ImageSuunto A-10 Compass
Suunto; CE
Best price: $11.20
Price in other shops: $14.55
Art Stamping Workshop: Create Hand-Carved Stamps for Unique Projects on Paper, Fabric, Polymer Clay and More ImageArt Stamping Workshop: Create Hand-Carved Stamps for Unique Projects on Paper, Fabric, Polymer Clay and More
by Gloria Page
North Light Books; Published: 2006-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops: $22.99
Speedball Speedy Carve Stamp Making Kit ImageSpeedball Speedy Carve Stamp Making Kit
Speedball Art Products; Speedball Art Products; Speedball Art Products; Kitchen; Art and Craft Supply
Best price: $7.11
Price in other shops: $28.00
It's a Treasure Hunt! Geocaching & Letterboxing ImageIt's a Treasure Hunt! Geocaching & Letterboxing
by G & R Publishing
CQ Products; Published: 2007-07-23; Spiral-bound; Book
Best price: $5.71
Price in other shops: $10.00
The Letterboxer's Companion, 2nd: Exploring the Mysteries Hidden in the Great Outdoors ImageThe Letterboxer's Companion, 2nd: Exploring the Mysteries Hidden in the Great Outdoors
by Randy Hall
FalconGuides; Published: 2011-03-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.34
Price in other shops: $12.95