The Letterboxer's Companion, 2nd: Exploring the Mysteries Hidden in the Great Outdoors [Paperback]

Randy Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2011

A complete introduction to the fast-growing outdoor sport of letterboxing. The questing game that combines clue solving, stamp crafting, and hiking.
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Letterboxing is an intriguing pastime combining stamp artistry with delightful quests in beautiful, scenic places. Participants seek out hidden letterboxes by following clues found on dedicated websites, and then record their discoveries in their personal journal with the help of a hand-carved rubber stamp. From the day in 1854 when James Perrott placed a bottle for visitors’ cards on a moor in Dartmoor,
England, to the thousands of letterboxes today scattered throughout North America, the quaint outdoor activity has come a long way. This fascinating, family-friendly sport—with its intriguing mix of hiking, puzzle solving, navigation, and artistry, topped off with the thrill of discovery—offers something for everyone.

The Letterboxer’s Companion covers all you need to know, from the history of letterboxing to tips on writing and following clues, and from instruction in carving personal stamps to letterboxing etiquette—in short, everything an aspiring letterboxer needs to get started.

About the Author

Randy Hall is a cofounder of the Letterboxing North America website, letterboxing.org, and is a nationally ranked orienteer. 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: FalconGuides; Second edition (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762746793
• ISBN-13: 978-0762746798
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,616 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Guide to Letterboxing, May 3, 2011

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Letterboxer's Companion, 2nd: Exploring the Mysteries Hidden in the Great Outdoors (Paperback)

Letterboxing is an activity that combines hiking, clue solving, treasure hunting, and stamp carving. In "The Letterboxer's Companion (Second Edition)" Randy Hall explains the history of letterboxing and everything you need to know to start letterboxing.

Randy Hall does an excellent job of explaining all the nuances of letterboxing (the book focuses on American letterboxing) in "The Letterboxer's Companion (Second Edition)". The book covers the history of letterboxing; the tools you need before going letterboxing; how to find letterboxes; how to make and hide your own letterboxes; how to make the rubber stamps used in letterboxing; letterboxing etiquette; conventions; advanced techniques; and how to use the web to find letterboxes (including a list of websites). There is also a glossary and index plus plenty of photos. There are also some puzzles in the book including a hint that within the book there may be clues to a letterbox.

I've only been letterboxing a handful of times and consider myself a beginner and I found "The Letterboxer's Companion" to be very useful. While I knew a lot of the things in the book I still learnt a few new things - namely I went about carving my stamp the completely wrong way! People who are experienced letterboxes probably won't gain much from this book, but newcomers should find it very useful. While there is a ton of useful information in the book, I found the information on how to read a compass and how to create clues when you hide your own letterbox to be the most helpful. All of this is very straightforward, and nothing is too complicated - when I first started letterboxing I found all the information to be a bit overwhelming but Hall does a good job of explaining everything and showing that it is not as complicated as it may at first seem to be.

When I first discovered letterboxing, "The Letterboxer's Companion" was out of print and I never read the first edition so I can't compare the two editions. I was thrilled to find they released a second edition. The book was as informative as I heard it was and I recommend it to anyone who wants to start the fun adventure that is letterboxing.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Letterboxing Book, March 5, 2011

By 

D. Wooding (Springfield, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Letterboxer's Companion, 2nd: Exploring the Mysteries Hidden in the Great Outdoors (Paperback)

I just finished reading the 1st edition of this book when I heard there was a 'new edition' that could be pre-ordered (only from Amazon). Needless to say I jumped on the band wagon and placed my pre-order. Much to my surprise I received notice the book came in ahead of schedule and I received my book appox. two weeks ahead of the quoted date.
As for the book.... I'm not to impressed with the updates. IF you have the 1st edition don't waste your money on this one... the updates aren't that great - especially if you are already do letter boxing and / or use Atlas Quest.
I'm still happy because I borrowed the 1st book from our library... now I have my own copy for a reference.