celebrates its 50th birthday in 2019. David Taylor talks to Jonathan and Lesley Williams
you any valuable advice at the
time?
Walt, Dorothy, Brian and Aileen were
all tremendously helpful in their very
diff erent ways. Especially Brian’s
careful introduction to the art of
guidebook production and printing. I
well remember spending an instructive
twenty minutes with Walt on
publishing as well! Its been interesting
to watch them watching us over the
years, I hope they are (or in Walt and
Dorothy’s case would have been) a
little proud. Not that Walt would have
said so!
places to walk and explore?
Oh defi nitely. Britain generally is great,
with a fantastic footpath network,
marvellous pubs and varied places
to stay from the comfort of B&Bs to
the slightly less luxurious choice of
bothies.
How has publishing changed
since 1999? What challenges
have you faced in that time?
What books - that you can
tell us about - are currently in
production?
There are 36 new books and
completely revised editions currently
in the pipeline so plenty going on. A
guide to the Kumano Kodo was
published in April. Also in the works
are guides to Lake Garda and Camino
Ingles, the Big Rounds, Rota Vicentina,
the Azores, and the Shropshire Way.
Fifty Years of Adventure, published in 2019
How much space do we have? There
has been the move from ‘metal’
typesetting to purely digital design.
Then there’s the rise of Internet online
shopping and the relative decline of
‘physical’ book shops as a result -
though there are signs that traditional
independent books shops are
recovering some what.
The biggest recent change for us
and for Cicerone was the move from
two converted cottages on Police
Square in Milnthorpe to our new, more
modern offi ces in Kendal. The move
required a substantial investment but
has resulted in a far more pleasant
working environment. The production
team no longer bake in the summer
from the heat of their PCs, for
example!
Customers seem to think so. We
produce eBooks and will be launching
apps this year. But when we ask
customers, the answer is always that
a physical book is important. This is
more than confi rmed in our customers’
buying habits.
Do you ever personally ‘road-test’
a guide before publication?
As often as possible. We usually try to
visit somewhere either before a book
is commissioned, during the writing
period, or before publication. However,
we’re only human and sometimes
this just isn’t possible. This is when
the trust we place in an author is
important.
Where do you think Cicerone will
be in 50 years’ time?
Walking in Northumberland, an OWPG award
winner for Vivienne Crow in 2018
Are there corners of Britain
that you feel are under-rated as
Digital technology has permeated
every aspect of life now. Do
traditional paper guide books still
have an important role to play?
Gosh. Even though the details will
change, the core Cicerone values
will endure. People wanting a great
adventure - and an inspiring guide to
how to achieve that – is something
that we believe will last.
summer 2019 | Outdoor focus 5