Footprint Travel Guides is the imprint of Footprint Handbooks Ltd, a publisher of
guidebook
A guide book or travel guide is "a book of information about a place designed for the use of visitors or tourists". It will usually include information about sights, accommodation, restaurants, transportation, and activities. Maps of varying det ...
s based in
Bath in the United Kingdom. Particularly noted for their coverage of Latin America, their ''
South American Handbook
The ''South American Handbook'' is a travel guide to South America, published in the United Kingdom by Footprint Books. It is the longest-running travel guide in the English language. In 2010 it was chosen as the Best South American Handbook by ' ...
'', first published in 1924, is in its 90th edition and is updated annually. The company now publish more than 200 titles covering many destinations. Since 2008, all handbook guides are published in lightweight hardback.
The initial focus on travel broadened to include activity and lifestyle guides on topics such as travel photography, travelling with children, mountain biking, diving, surfing, skiing, snowboarding and body and soul retreats. The range currently offered by Footprint includes: Footprint Handbooks, Footprint Focus, Footprint Dream Trip, Footprint with Kids, Footprint Activity and Lifestyle Guides, and Footprint Full-Colour Guides.
Globe Pequot Press acquired Footprint in 2007. When Globe Pequot was sold by parent
Morris Communications
Morris Communications, headquartered in Augusta, Georgia, is a privately held media company with diversified holdings that include magazine publishing, outdoor advertising, book publishing and distribution, visitor publications, and online serv ...
to
Rowman & Littlefield, Footprint was retained.
In 2019, Footprint was acquired by
Bradt Travel Guides
Bradt Travel Guides is a publisher of travel guides founded in 1974 by Hilary Bradt and her husband George, who co-wrote the first Bradt Guide on a river barge on a tributary of the Amazon.
Since then Bradt has grown into a leading independent tr ...
.
History
The company was incorporated in December 1922 as Trade and Travel Publications Ltd.
[Companies House Webcheck]
Company number 186564
South American Handbook
In 1924 the company published the South American Handbook, a new edition of a guide for business travellers first published in 1921 by the
Federation of British Industry and entitled the ''Anglo-South American Handbook''.
The handbook remained the company's only guidebook for the next 65 years. Over the years the handbook expanded its coverage to include all the countries of South America, Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. It continued to include data for businessmen, but by the 1970s was increasingly aimed at leisure travellers, particularly backpackers following the
Gringo Trail. In 1989 the 65th edition was almost 1400 pages long.
In 1990 the handbook was split. The ''Mexico & Central America Handbook'' and the ''Caribbean Islands Handbook'' were published as separate volumes, and during the 1990s the company started developing a new travel guide series using the South American Handbook title as the flagship.
Footprint imprint
Trade and Travel Publications changed its name to Footprint Handbooks Ltd in August 1996.
[ By 1997 there were over a dozen guides in the series.
The series grew quickly and in 2004, Footprint launched its first thematic guide: ''Surfing Europe''. This was followed by further thematic guides such as ''Diving the World'', ''Snowboarding the World'', ''Body and Soul escapes'', ''Travel with Kids'' and ''European City Breaks''. In 2013 a brand new series, ''Footprint Dream Trip'', was launched.
]
Official History
The official history of the company is included in the majority of Footprint’s publications.The Footprint Story
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References
External links
Official website
{{Morris Communications
Book publishing companies of the United Kingdom
Travel guide books
Companies based in Bath, Somerset