Anyone collect old AT guides ?

[peakbagger]

I have an interest in AT history and over the years I have been collecting old AT guides to Maine. Anyone else out there who collects older guides?

In new england there is a fairly active market for older AMC White Mountain guides, with some of the earliest editions going in the $200 to $500 range. A first edition WMG, when they come up for sale usually range from $750 to $1800.

My theory is that a complete AT guides is going to be rarer as there werent a lot of thru hikers early on. I concentrate on the Maine AT guides as I am originally from Maine and the trail route tended to jump around quite a bit from the original layout to today. They dont come up very often but normally the prices of the older ones tend to be less expensive than the AMC guides.

The concept of the Maine Trail guides over the years is interesting, the 1942 guide (4th edition) is in a hard cover two post binding and is 2 -1/4" thick, quite a "brick" to carry. Quite a change from the current concept where all the essential information is on the maps with the trail guide acting as an optional suppplement.

[88BlueGT]

My father used to do a lot of hiking back in the 70's. He told me about his old hiking partner, 'doc' who now lives in Maine. I sent him a letter just to get in contact and he responded back, and in a box sent me a bunch of old maps and AT guides that he used with my father. I have one long map of NY (maybe 3ft long) that I plan to have framed. I do not collect but its something I could definitely see myself doing.

[coach lou]

I have a '68' vintage Vermont/ New Hampshire Guide Book.

[CrumbSnatcher]

i have a complete set of wingfoot's thruhikers guide books(mint/unused) and i have 2 of the philosopher's guides 1989 & 90

[Ewker]

I have the 1953 Publication No. 4 (5th Edition) Guide to the Appalachian Trail in Maine. It says on the cover Parts I III and IV (maps are still in it)
The 1957 (Fourth Edition) Guide to the Appalachian Trail From the Connecticut-New York sate Line to the Susquehanna River, Pa (maps still in it)
The 1959 (5th Edition)Guide to Trails in the Shenandoah National Park.
The 1973 Hikers Guide to the Smokies (also know as the Blue Book and the map is still with it)

[Ewker]

should be New York State Line

[Blissful]

This is really cool reading what people own. The oldest book I have us Ed Garveys 1973 book.

[Hikes in Rain]

I don't collect old guidebooks so much (although I do seem to have a bunch of them), but I do like old camping and woodcraft how-to books. I must have almost four selves of them in the library. One's in Russian, which I can't read, but was just too cool to pass up.

[Kerosene]

I also have Ed Garvey's 1973 book, which served as my backpacking bible through high school.

I think I've kept all of the guidebooks I've purchased over the years, but the oldest is from the 70's and probably from one of the Mid-Atlantic states. I also have a 1979 Long Trail Guide.

Personally, I'm less interested in collecting than perusing maps for an AT state over time.

[peakbagger]

I got a 2nd edition Maine AT guide last evening (1936). It is the last guide for Maine before the trail was completed. There were two sections not complete, the Sugaloaf area and a section going east of Grafton Notch. It was interesting to note that the AT was intended to be routed over Mt Abraham (a major disappointment of the current trail) although there is a spur path to get over to the summit.

[Train Wreck]

I have the 1991, 1996, and 2007 Wingfoot guides.

I also have their granddaddy, the 1989 Philosopher's Guide. It was the first guidebook I ever saw and used - our friends brought along on our first-ever backpacking trip. Does anyone know if Darrell Maret is still active in the hiking community?