Publishing

Established in 1876, the Oxford Alpine Club is one of the country's oldest mountaineering clubs. Our members span every generation and every corner of the globe, enjoying every genre of climbing from bouldering to big walling. That gives us plenty of experience to fall back on when we need inspiration or advice. As a publisher, the OAC is unique. We are not bound by geographical limits or a corporate image. Our aim goes no further than providing beautiful books that give a climber everything he or she wants in a guide. We are not profit-driven, and would like to see some of the more unusual climbing destinations achieve the popularity that they deserve, through publication of guidebooks that some larger publishing houses may not see sufficient profit in.

We recognise the challenges of getting your guidebook published, and realise that different authors want different things. Different climbing areas also require a different style of guide, so we won't push our image ahead of your vision. We can provide a flexible and bespoke service when it comes to getting your work published, from simply looking after your legal deposits to full design and production services or pre-press preparation.

So if you and your friends have been developing a new climbing area that you think others should know about, and you want to write the first guidebook to it, then we're there to publish it. Whether it's rock climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering or hill-walking... get in touch and see how we can help.

For further details, please email us at publishing@oxfordalpineclub.co.uk

Publishing your work with the OAC

If you're the kind of person who has a little 'black book' of climbing, have somehow ended up holding the new-route information to an unusual climbing destination, or even just have an interest in writing your own guidebook... then read on.

Commercial Publishing

Printing, selling and distributing your work.

Sharing your work with other climbers can be hard work, and whilst web sites and home-made topos are a good start, you may have enough material to make the beginnings of a new guidebook... Getting that material published can seem like hard work, and most mainstream publishers are reluctant to take the risks on new projects or unknown climbing areas. Self-publishing is a time-consuming and expensive process, but the Oxford Alpine Club can help - we specialise in small run 1st editions to destinations that are perhaps a little 'off the beaten track'.

The Oxford Alpine Club are actively looking for guidebook authors, and can provide any level of publishing support from ISBN allocation tocartography, design and pre-press, through to full publishing and distribution packages. We are a small-scale publisher who can provide a unique and bespoke service, and we'd particularly like to hear from you if you've got the makings of a guidebook that perhaps larger publishers don't see sufficient profit in.

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Member Publications

Your expedition reports, articles, diaries and photos in print

For mountaineers, every holiday is an adventure. Whether you took part in a Himalayan expedition, an Arctic trek, or an Alpine adventure, the memories of that trip will probably form an important part of your mountaineering life. If you've got a story to tell, even if it's only a record for the grandchildren, we can help our members to create a beautiful, permanent and professional record in the form of unique or short-run books.Professionally printed, full-colour books can tell the story of major expeditions or climbing trips in a way that photo-albums never will, and as an OAC member you can take full advantage of OAC Publishing to preserve those memories forever. We are also able to publish single copies of diaries and memoirs, providing a beautiful and lasting record of your mountaineering memories.

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Cartography & Design

Custom maps, funding applications, expedition reports, and more...

The OAC are able to provide design, printing, and cartography work to expeditions involved in exploration or mapping. We can also provide custom mapping for guidebook authors, publishers, and other commercial enterprises.

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