Tom Helleberg
Taking on the responsibility of Publisher at the start of a global pandemic has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. But if our readers have taught me one thing this year, it’s that our independence and our nonprofit mission truly matters.
When you make a gift or purchase a book you champion emerging authors, capturing history that would otherwise go unpublished. You’re investing in stories that open new doors to the beauty of our natural landscapes and connect people to the transformative power of the outdoors. Every time you choose to support Mountaineers Books, you help build and sustain a community of advocates who are dedicated to preserving the history and majesty of our wild places for generations to come.
In this unique season of giving, more and more people are thinking about how they can support small businesses. If this sounds like you, here are three easy ways you can support independent publishing this giving season:
Check Out Our Gift Guides
If you’re looking for holiday gifts, we’ve been churning out incredible new releases all year - including Washington State Book Award winner The Big Thaw and Banff Mountain Book Award winner Raven’s Witness. Our catalog is packed with classics as well. Whether you’re looking for vicarious thrills or planning your own adventure, we’ve got the book for you.
Go Local
If you want to go the extra mile, consider purchasing a Mountaineers Book from your local bookstore. We all have our favorite spot where you go to browse the shelves, get a recommendation, or just find a quiet nook with a cozy beverage. Although many of these old habits are on hold for the moment, you can still curl up with those books at home. They don’t even have to be Mountaineers books - that’s how much we love our local independent bookstores! Be there for them now, so that they’ll be around for you later.
Consider a Year-End Gift
Once you’ve finished your holiday shopping and helped preserve our rich bookshop culture, my final request is that you consider a year-end gift to support Mountaineers Books. In the year ahead, we will be releasing landmark titles like Linda Mapes’s Orca: Shared Waters, Shared Home and Written in the Snows, Lowell Skoog’s history of skiing in the Pacific Northwest. These are mission books. Books that explore, that educate, and that memorialize and elevate their subjects - and we rely on charitable donations to bring them to life.
I hope that you’ll join us this December and be part of our story.
As I write this, I recognize that we are in a time of great and unequal need. It’s easy to say that our books are important; it’s difficult to say any book is more important than the immediate needs of millions of Americans. As with your local bookstore, I ask that you conserve and protect the institutions that matter to you, even if that means buying someone else’s book or donating to a different cause.
Please support your community, wherever you may find it. I would be honored if The Mountaineers is the community you choose.
At Mountaineers Books, we strive to provide guidance and inspiration to live a full life grounded in the outdoor experience – from day hiking in urban areas to ambitious, high-altitude climbs. Images and stories can take people to wild places they might not otherwise experience.
You can help preserve the trusted wisdom in Mountaineers Books with your year-end gift today. If you would like to make a gift of securities, notify us of a check in the mail, or have any other questions, please reach out to development@mountaineers.org or call (206) 521-6006.
The Mountaineers® is a 501(c)(3) organization supported through earned revenue and elevated through charitable contributions, tax ID:27-3009280, 7700 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.
