Contact:
Kate Larson
For Immediate Release
SENSATIONAL FATHER’S DAY GIFT FOR SMART DADS:
ODT
MAPS PRESENTS WHAT’S UP? SOUTH! IN NEW SMALLER
FORMAT
AMHERST,
Mass., May 12, 2010 – ODT Maps, one of the nation’s most
respected publishers of innovative world maps and related
products, has transformed its most popular map – What’s
Up? South! – into a new smaller, poster size, creating a
sensational gift for Father’s Day.
“This new
format is perfect for any study or office wall,” said Bob
Abramms, founder and publisher of ODT. “Lots of customers
have asked us to cut down our large standard size of 36” x
56” to something that would fit in their homes or personal
offices. This new 2’ x 3’ size fits a standard poster
frame, but still carries the same amazing impact of the
original. It’s a mind-stretching, world-broadening tool,
and we think it will provoke a lot of fun and challenge for
the owners.”
ODT’s
What’s Up? South! map turns the world upside down,
presenting Africa and South America at the top and Europe
and North America at the bottom, startling viewers,
challenging their assumptions, and jogging them into seeing
that mapmaking – flattening a three-dimensional globe onto a
two-dimensional surface – is a highly subjective endeavor,
one that requires choices especially about shape, size and
position, each of which affects perceptions of power and
value. The impact of alternative views is reinforced by
seven full-color comparison panels at the bottom of the map,
each showing a different way of mapping the Earth.
The new size can be purchased in standard or acid-free
archival paper stock. Available in several formats: flat
paper, folded paper, or laminated and shipped in a plastic
tube with a detailed 4-page explanation.
"What's Up? South!" World Map
(laminated and tubed)
$28.95
ISBN# 978-1-931057-29-5
(for 2’ x 3’ size)
Larger format (36” x 56”)
map available for $1 additional
The full color map can be viewed and purchased on-line at:
http://www.odtmaps.com/detail.asp_Q_product_id_E_WUS-36x56-LT
.
It is also available at local book and map stores, and many
Fair Trade stores throughout the U.S and Canada.
The new map came about through the advocacy of ODT’s
distributors, which include hundreds of Fair Trade stores
across the USA and Canada. The stores use ODT’s maps to
display where their goods are made and to educate customers
about global economic and fair trade issues. “We love the
ODT What’s Up? South! world map and so do our
customers,” said Susan Sheldon, manager of SERRV gift shop
in Madison, Wisconsin. “I’ve had customers spend 45 minutes
studying the map in the store, but they wouldn’t buy it
because it was too big to fit in their homes. This new
format will make a great Father’s Day gift. There’s a real
shortage of good gifts for men, and it’s usually the men who
spend time viewing the maps while their wives shop for the
fair trade/crafts items.”Candi Smucker of Baksheesh in
Sonoma, California agreed. She has served as a trainer to
establish new stores for Ten Thousand Villages, perhaps the
largest Fair Trade wholesaler and retailer in the world.
She was the first to suggest ODT publish a South-up map in
1999. Now, the super-sized version is the lead
revenue-generator in ODT’s line of maps.
About ODT Maps, Inc.
ODT Maps, Inc., based in Amherst, Massachusetts, has been
publishing innovative ways to view the world for over 20
years. Their products include equal-area world maps, world
population maps, and an entire series of “South-on-top”
maps, including a jigsaw puzzle. In 2001, ODT gained
international fame after having its Peters equal-area map
featured on an episode of the hit TV show “West Wing.” In
2002, former President Jimmy Carter used ODT’s Hobo-Dyer map
in his media materials when accepting the Nobel Peace
Prize. The company’s products have been praised by late
historian Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of
the United States, and have been purchased by the
National Council for the Social Studies. Most of ODT’s maps
are sold through map and book stores as well as Fair Trade
stores like Ten Thousand Villages, which focus on providing
a living wage for farmers and artisans around the world. In
addition, corporations and religious groups use them for
training sessions.
ODT's mission is to honor differences and teach people to
see the world from a broader, more inclusive perspective;
this remains at the core of all ODT activities. In addition
to publishing new maps and resource materials and updating
previous material, the Company is initiating extensive
in-service teacher training and train-the-trainer workshops
to expand the reach of its message.
