News from the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House

The new year brings new book publications. The collection of stories New Adventures in Fairyland offers a full dose of mountain fairy magic; this year, new guidebooks, some more fiction works, and new mountaineering maps will follow the book. The mountaineering publishing house has its first clear website. On it, you can find all book publications, all maps, and browse some of the publisher's archival editions.







The Mountaineering Publishing House of the Alpine Association of Slovenia has been preparing a wide range of publications for decades, from guidebooks and educational books to fiction for adults and youth alike. Thus, this year began with great joy with the release of a new collection of stories for youth, New Adventures in Fairyland by author Kristina Menih. "We are especially pleased that the first collection Fairyland under Triglav received such a response from readers and that we can continue this success. After all, the first edition sold out in just a few months. Since new stories continued to be created even after the first book was published and we published them in the Mountaineering Bulletin, the logical and bold decision was made to publish them in a new book," explained the publishing house editor Vladimir Habjan.







The book New Adventures in Fairyland, like its predecessor Fairyland under Triglav, invites young readers into the mountaineering environment, stirring their imagination, either with mysterious creatures not visible to everyone or with real inhabitants of the mountain world who become closer, more familiar, almost tangible through stories and specific names. "Excellent illustrations by Jernej Myint undoubtedly contribute to this, who created sympathetic images of the main characters of the stories. It has been a pleasure and joy for me to collaborate with such imaginative creators as Kristina and Jernej. I hope the stories will catch on with young readers and that in the future we might join forces again on some joint project," added the book's editor Mateja Pate.







Fairyland still remains an enchanted land in the last valley under Triglav. In the first part of the collection, we met the friendly pit bull Dixie and the lady, who remain a duo in the second edition as well. "Colorful adventures with their fortunes and misfortunes are primarily provided by forest and domestic animals and mythical creatures that live in Fairyland and, as I wrote in the book's introduction, enjoy their lives under the free sun. Dixie is certainly the connecting character between the fairy, imaginary world and everyday life, known to people. She communicates effortlessly with everyone and always spreads good cheer, a pinch of common sense, and kindness," said author Kristina Menih, for whom the world of fairy tales and mountains is a world of magic, escape, and inspiration.



New Adventures in Fairyland appeals to reading every soul - adult and child alike - who enjoys listening to slightly unusual mountaineering stories seasoned with a wooden spoon of imagination and fills their heart with them. "This is especially important in these strange times when good stories are one of the few things that can at least temporarily fill us with optimism and new plans for the future. With the help of these stories, at least some will decide on a trip to mountain valleys and pastures. I am truly happy and grateful that the publishing house decided to publish despite such uncertain times."



Something for every taste



This year's book production will follow the plans of previous years; diverse content and something for everyone. Something informative, like a trip or tour suggestion, something educational where readers acquire mountaineering knowledge, and something cultural to expand reading on the theme of mountains and Alps. "The second book for youth or families will be a guidebook featuring 30 destinations in Gorenjska. Dušica Kunaver selected them, all based on folk legends or tales. Irena Mušič Habjan prepared the descriptions to the destinations. We are also preparing another edition for youth and families, namely the Basics of the Mountaineering School of the Mountaineering Education Instructor by Jože Drab. This is a revised edition of his Mountaineering Handbook, intended for the general public, i.e., everyone who decides to visit the mountains; the booklet vividly and clearly presents the basic knowledge needed for that," announced editor of the PZS Mountaineering Publishing House Vladimir Habjan the novelties for younger mountain lovers.







The other guidebooks for this year are also extremely interesting. They will lead us along the Bohinj Mountaineering Trail, along the milestones of the Rapallo border, through 45 selected destinations in the central and southern Julian Alps, and to all the highest European peaks. From fiction, the publishing house will release a new book by renowned author and alpinist Iztok Tomazin and a revised history of Slovenian mountaineering in a larger format, including the period from 2010 onwards. "We are also preparing reprints of some successful editions, including guidebooks Expanded Slovenian Mountaineering Trail, Bovec, Slovenian Istria, Čičarija, Brkini, Kras."







Among the mountaineering maps, there are two completely fresh editions: Domžale and surroundings and Semič with surroundings. Just before printing is the Smrekovec with surroundings map. To follow: Kamnik and surroundings, Julian Alps eastern and western parts, Kamnik and Savinja Alps, Karawanks central part, Pohorje, Zasavje, and Cerkno and Škofja Loka regions.







Last year was truly special in publishing as well. Due to uncertainty, some projects were paused in spring and resumed only in autumn, so the book harvest is more modest than usual. The publishing house released only 5 books. Given the reduced purchasing options in bookstores and the Mountaineering Shop, readers switched to online purchases, which proceed smoothly.







Mountaineering Publishing House with a new website







The Mountaineering Publishing House, which has been operating within the Slovenian Mountaineering Association or Alpine Association of Slovenia since its foundation, has for the first time in its history received an online presentation. On the clear website, you can find all book publications, all maps, and browse some of the publisher's archival editions.







On planinskazalozba.pzs.si, the organization of book publishing, the history of the publishing house, novelties for 2021, e-books, and the maps section are presented. The collaborators are especially proud that electronic copies of some of the oldest editions of the Mountaineering Publishing House are available to the wider mountaineering public, including Mira Marko Debelak's Climbing Technique from 1933 and Janez Gregorin’s Blessing of the Mountains, a collected work from 1944.







The site also has an index made in the style of a search engine for publications in the Mountaineering Bulletin. With a modern search engine, you can find all editions, including maps, that have ever been published by the Mountaineering Publishing House, including the cover and a link to the mountaineering shop page where you can order the book or map if it is still available. The publishing house website is part of the Mountaineering Shop web portal.







We invite you to view and purchase old and new book editions.