The Letterboxer's Companion

Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of hiking, puzzle solving, treasure hunting and rubber stamp artistry, topped off with the thrill of discovery. The basic idea is simple. Clues, usually posted on a website, will lead the person who correctly follows them to the secret location of a "letterbox". The letterbox contains a unique rubber stamp and a logbook. The searcher carries a personal rubber stamp and logbook. When the letterbox is found, its finder stamps the box's logbook with his or her personal stamp, and stamps the personal logbook with the stamp in the letterbox. The letterbox is then secreted away again. There is something for everyone in this quaint, Old World pastime. Artists and writers enjoy the opportunity to express themselves in their stamps and clues, while hikers and outdoor adventurers have found this an excellent way to share their special places with others. "The Letterboxer's Companion" is a complete introduction to letterboxing. It includes a history of letterboxing, instructions on making personal stamps and letterboxes, letterboxing etiquette and conventions, basic land navigation techniques, writing and following clues - everything the aspiring letterboxer needs to get started in this fascinating, family-friendly pastime. Legend has it that letterboxing was born in 1854 when a gentleman, while walking the moors of Dartmoor, placed his calling card in a jar by the remote Cranmere Pool. He is said to have left a note that anyone who found his card should do likewise. Word spread of this secret on the moors, and soon other "letterboxes" began showing up in Dartmoor. Stamps eventually replaced the cards, and clues were written up and passed around by word of mouth.