NWHikers.net - View topic - WTB-Guide to the Monte Cristo Area

Newt · Tue Nov 19, 2002 4:45 pm

by Harry Majors.
Not sure of this title.
Also is there one for the Index area?

Iffin you got and want to get rid of or have a lead please drop me a PM.

Thanks
NN

Sawyer · Guest

Those are hard to find ("Monte Cristo Area" by Majors and McClollum). King County Library System has a copy. If someone finds two copies please let me know too. Just bought a way-cool 1901 mining map of the area.

Gaius · Wed Nov 20, 2002 12:34 pm

I purchased a copy of the book from a used book store I found on the web site abebooks.com. It took a few months for one to come up, but they do come up on abebooks.com. You can also get a list of Seattle area (or whatever area you are in) used book stores at the same web site. You might call around.

Scrooge · Wed Nov 20, 2002 8:16 pm

After seven of KCLS's nine copies of the "Monte Cristo Area" had been stolen, I took one of the remaining copies to a local copy-shop (name withheld to protect the innocent) and ran most of it through a photocopier. Then put the pages in clear vinyl covers and bound them in a three ring binder.

Valuable book ....... in my opinion.

ps - A couple of years ago, there was a rumor about a reprint. Anything ever come of that? (Rubberlegs? You're the expert.)

--------------
Something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you....... Go and find it. Go!

Sawyer · Guest

Not a reprint -- Majors and McClollum purportedly were rewriting the book. But at the rate they do research (see their book on the Big Four Ice Caves trails for an example), I wonder if it'll happen! Couple years ago they were living in the San Juans, which probably ain't helping speed things up.

Gaius · Fri Dec 27, 2002 9:32 am

I was looking on abebooks.com. There is a copy of the "Monte Cristo Area" book for sale at a Seattle area used bookstore:

Majors, Harry M. And Richard C. McCollum
Monte Cristo Area: A Complete Outdoor Guide
Seattle: Northwest Press, 1977. Large Paperback. Near Fine. First Edition. SIGNED BY BOTH AUTHORS, with short inscription: "Best wishes to Marty from the Department Heads." Scarce book on this area in Washington's Cascades. Includes all the trails, scrambles, and climbs of the area, with topographic maps and numerous b/w photographs. A very uncommon title. Bookseller Inventory #41065
Price: US$ 125.00 (Convert Currency)
Bookseller: RICHARD BISHOP BOOKSELLER, Seattle, WA, U.S.A.

And it is signed by the two authors.

Newt · Fri Dec 27, 2002 6:55 pm

Thanks. I too ran across this yesterday while doing my searches.
Unfortunately it's kinda spendy right now.
I don't even know if this is a deal or not.

NN

Sawyer · Guest

I heard about that too, via the abebooks automatic emailing service. Price is awful high, considering a photocopy of the liberry copy works ok.

Gaius · Sat Dec 28, 2002 9:37 am

The person is asking for $125. You can offer the person what you think it is worth. I would agree that $125 is steep.

Maybe it is in extra-super-double-secret-whammy never-seen-the-light-of-day condition. And you have to view it in a dark room with gloves.

Karen · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2001 Posts: 2867 | TRs

The most recent edition of Pack and Paddle magazine has mention of Harry Majors -- maybe Ann Caley knows how to contact him. She thanks him ... probably for some historical information. I'd sure like to get in contact with him. Pack and Paddle may be the best route.

Pine Marten

Dave in MT · Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:04 pm

I own a small publishing company and several years ago we published a book called "Discovering Washington's Historic Mines: Volume 1, The West-Central Cascades". It covers from Darrington south to North Bend but Monte Cristo is a huge chunk of the book. There are maps for each section showing where all the old mines were, plus hiking directions to almost all of them along with a difficulty rating. I hope this doesn't sound self-serving; a big part of the reason we did this book was that we weren't able to find any of the "classic" Monte Cristo books. (We also did a book on the Everett and Monte Cristo Railway, but it's been out of print for a couple of years.)
If you'd like to see details please visit http://www.osorail.com

--Dave in MT (was in Oso, WA)

-lol- · Member Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 771 | TRs

Dave in MT · Fri Jun 10, 2005 1:58 pm

Thanks! We'd sure like to reprint it, but the economics are getting pretty tough and we don't want to release it as a cheesy paperback. We've got a few more titles coming up throughout the rest of this year, and we then hope to do a reprint.

--Dave in MT

mike · Fri Jun 10, 2005 4:23 pm

Richard Bishop is a reputable bookseller who has been in business around here for quite a while. He used to go by the name Karakoram Books and specialized in mountaineering, exploration, etc. I think he has changed his name to reflect a broader range. Also there was another bookstore with a similar name back east. Anyway, if he thinks the book is worth $125 then he's probably right. I do know that he is interested in the occult and have done trades with him to our mutual satisfaction so you might explore that option in lieu of cash.

Snowshoe Hare · Defunct lagomorph Joined: 03 Dec 2004 Posts: 1186 | TRs

Man I feel lucky then that I picked up a great condition Monte Cristo Area a couple years ago for far far less than $125- more like $20-30 bucks. I also have a couple copies of the E & MC Railway book- one a gift and the other I ordered from Oso Publishing. It's a classic, a shame it isn't currently being published. The Historic Mines series is also great local history and guidebook.