Cicerone Press

{{Primary sources|date=May 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=September 2021}}

{{Use DMY dates|date=September 2021}}

{{short description|English publisher specialising in guidebooks}}

Cicerone Press is an English publisher, founded in 1969,{{Cite web|title=About Cicerone|url=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/about-cicerone|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Cicerone Press|language=en}} specialising in guidebooks for walkers, climbers, trekkers and cyclists.

The company's first publication was a climbing guide to the English Lake District, and over the past 50 years they have published a range of guidebooks covering walking, trekking and cycling around the world.

History

The company was founded in 1969 when the late Walt Unsworth (1928-2017) and Brian Evans, in frustration at the lack of suitable climbing guides to areas of the English Lake District, came together to produce a climbing guide.

The very first guide, The Northern Lake District was published in March 1969. It consisted of just 40 pages and included hand-drawn illustrations by Evans who, two years later, wrote and illustrated a companion guide to climbs in The Southern Lake District, Cicerone's second title. Winter Climbs in Ben Nevis and Glencoe followed later the same year.{{Cite web|title=Cicerone Press at 50: From then to now|url=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/cicerone-press-at-50-from-then-to-now|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Cicerone Press|language=en}}

Since 1999, Cicerone has been developing under the ownership of Jonathan and Lesley Williams.{{Cite web|title=About Cicerone|url=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/about-cicerone|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Cicerone Press|language=en}} The company is based in Kendal, Cumbria.{{Cite web|title=Contact Us|url=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/contact|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Cicerone Press|language=en}}

The Cicerone podcast 'Footnotes' was first released in 2020 and new episodes are available twice a month.{{Cite web|title=Podcast|url=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/podcast|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Cicerone Press|language=en}} The company also hosts a monthly Cicerone Live event with authors and guest speakers, events are streamed live on the Cicerone website, YouTube, and Facebook.{{Cite web|title=Live Streaming Events|url=https://www.cicerone.co.uk/live|access-date=2021-12-01|website=Cicerone Press|language=en}}

In 2008, readers of Walk Magazine, published by the Ramblers Association, voted Cicerone guides into first place in the "Best Walking Book" category of their annual "Top Gear Awards".{{cite web|url=http://www.walkmag.co.uk/pdfs/readerAwards2008.pdf |title=Your Gear of the Year |last=McNeish |first=Cameron |date=Spring 2008 |work=Walk Magazine |accessdate=2008-08-08 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516033316/http://www.walkmag.co.uk/pdfs/readerAwards2008.pdf |archivedate=2008-05-16 |publisher=Ramblers Association}}

In 2019, the Cicerone Press celebrated its 50th anniversary with the publication of Cicerone: Celebrating Fifty Years of Adventure, edited by Kev Reynolds.{{Cite web|title=Guide book publishers Cicerone celebrate 50 years of hiking, biking, skiing and climbing|url=https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/outdoors/guide-book-publishers-cicerone-celebrate-50-years-hiking-biking-skiing-and-climbing-1423711|access-date=2021-12-01|website=www.scotsman.com|language=en}}

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{cite book |editor1-last=Reynolds |editor1-first=Kev |title=Fifty Years of Adventure |date=2018 |publisher=Cicerone Press |location= |isbn=9781786310309}}