MudScout

MudScout is an independent Canadian book publisher dedicated to digging up unlikely art and culture gems. MudScout's Online Store Follow MudScout on Twitter

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Clear your mind here

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MudScout Books Make Great Gifts!

Hey, it's that time of year again.... and if you're looking for that perfect, quirky and original holiday gift, you've come to the right place. MudScout has just what you need for the old-school skateboard enthusiast (Pipe Fiends - a real piece of history by Montreal legends Barry Walsh & Marc Tison), the practical-minded hoser/ FUBAR fan (Just Give'r), the roller derby enthusiast (Roller Girls) and the fan of '90s underground hip hop (In Search Of... Divine Styler). We even have Lederhosen Lucil's classic collection, The Joy of Hosen. 

it's been a while since the site has been updated, but we're still here, and we have books! Order while there's still plenty of time to ship! Your best bet is to order directly from our online (Big Cartel) store. You can also order through Amazon, but those orders need to be shipped to their warehouse before they get sent to you, and unfortunately MudScout will never see a cent from those orders... so support us through the online store!

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Like the generations of leaves, the lives of mortal men. Now the wind scatters the old leaves across the earth, now the living timber bursts with the new buds and spring comes round again. And so with men: as one generation comes to life, another dies away.

The Iliad, Homer (via fuckyeahliteraryquotes)

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The Big-O Pipe is Moving!

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Still here!

It's been a busy year. Between a hectic day job and now, a new baby, I haven't been on top of updates here. It's been a while since MudScout released a new book, but I've been busy behind the scenes, helping some friends and clients with their book projects.

Since I last posted, we've reprinted the FUBAR book, Just Give'r: A Handguide By Terry and Dean.

Also, I worked on Kid Koala's latest masterpiece, Space Cadet, a gorgeous and incredibly moving graphic novel that comes with a CD soundtrack.

I've also assisted a few clients get their books into print, guiding them through the process of self-publishing and overseeing everything from edits to layout, printing and distribution.

It's all kept me pretty occupied. So, things might be quiet, but MudScout hasn't gone anywhere!

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Digging Up Past Gems: Spotlight On An Indelible Decade

  A few years back (2006), MudScout published An Indelible Decade: E.R. Huntington, Apprentice Under Sail & Arctic Constable, 1908-1918, by Beverley Huntington Rogers. I'm returning to this now because, for various reasons, the book flew under the radar at the time of its release, and it's the kind of title that deserves to be rediscovered and read for years to come.

An Indelible Decade is more than just a family history. It offers a first-hand glimpse into the life of a young man nearly a century ago, illuminating the character-shaping challenges and adventures he faced first as an apprentice aboard a commercial sailing vessel, and later, as a member of Canada’s RNWMP, stationed at Churchill, Manitoba.

Orphaned at the age of fourteen, E.R. Huntington was apprenticed aboard the three-masted, square-rigged ship Cambrian Princess. In the next four years, he went around Cape Horn eight times—more than enough to be considered a “real seaman.”

At eighteen, Huntington knocked the unendurable first mate over the ship’s rail and into the harbour at Portland, Oregon, so he had to skip ship.

Ashore without money, he tried several occupations and narrowly escaped being picked up by the marshals who were after him when they discovered that the popular young saloon owner was underage.

Blending oral history with meticulous research, this book also features more than a hundred previously unpublished photographs taken by the young Huntington while posted at Churchill. These photographs capture the primitive conditions of daily life at Churchill and around the HBC, and bring us face to face with the north and its people, including the First Nations who interacted with the RNWMP as they assembled to collect treaty payments.

Beverley H. Rogers pieces together snapshots of E.R. Huntington's life in this book, and invites readers to listen in as her father shares his hardships, hopes, and the youthful hijinks that made this decade in his sometimes-grim life bearable.

An Indelible Decade is available at MudScout's online store.

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Welcome to the new MudScout.com!

After way too long trying (unsuccessfully) to keep my old site up to date despite my (very) limited coding abilities, I've moved over to this blog. So far I've been attempting to recreate the events of the past few years here... in a rather roundabout way. But I think things are nearly summed up now (let me know if you have any questions), and it's getting to be time to look ahead to the next big project...

I've also got a new online store, via bigcartel.com. I love it! So much simpler and better-looking than the old one, and it's a far more cost-effective option for a small business like this. Let me know if you have any feedback.

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It was 2004, and I'd just been laid off from my job at ECW Press (they had decided to close their Montreal office). I had some time on my hands and I was looking for new projects. Enter FUBAR. Paul Spence and Dave Lawrence (aka Dean & Terry) were looking for help publishing their book, Just Give'r: A Handguide by Terry & Dean. I got involved as a consultant, and worked with the dynamic duo (and jfry craig, the book's designer and the artist behind another MudScout project, war made me: do it) to make sure the book saw the light of day. And did it ever. After a wildly successful book tour (at one point, in Kingston, ON, I think we witnessed what was probably the largest simultaneous beer shotgun in history), the book eventually sold out.

FUBAR fans will be pleased to know that a sequel is currently in the works.

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Terry & Dean get interviewed while on tour for their book, Just Give'r.

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What Is A MudScout?

Taking a cue from my best buddy Nore (pictured here), a MudScout is somebody who doesn’t mind wading into the muck if that’s what it takes to unearth a hidden gem. Or anything else worth digging for. Yes, there's a story behind this.

Here’s how we explained it on my website:

MudScout founder Emma McKay has always had a knack for picking her way through tricky territory, which is why so many people place their most precious possessions in her hands—whether clean shoes or fresh ideas.

The nickname was awarded on a trek along a rough forest trail in Eastern Canada. When the going got really muddy, Emma (with her trusty rubber boots) was entrusted with the task of scouting out the best path around the biggest, deepest, stickiest mud puddles possible. The skill later translated into an uncanny ability to face whatever obstacle nature or bureaucracy threw her way, and to steer would-be authors through the murky process of book publishing.

And a little background on me (love the 3rd person!):

In her years as Acquisitions Editor and Production Manager at ECW Press in Montreal, Emma successfully guided a number of talented authors—from food critic Sarah Musgrave to turntable scratch legend Kid Koala—along the journey from concept to completed book. When ECW closed its Montreal office, Emma simply did what she does best: she blazed her own trail so that she could continue to help hidden talent find its way out of the woods and onto the printed page.

There's more to it after this (I think we wrote this back in 2005), but I'll save that for another post...

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Lederhosen Lucil's delightfully dark video for "Semi-Sweet."

Lucil is returning to the stage with Kid Koala and his Short Attention Span Theatre Tour as part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad -- get all the details here. Should be a great show. We still have a few copies of Lederhosen Lucil's book, The Joy of Hosen, available for sale.

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The Slew's "It's All Over." Enjoy.

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If you're in Vancouver in February for the 2010 Olympics, check out one of these shows (note that they're in February, not Jan. as the link suggests. Try this link for reality. There's the return of the legendary Short Attention Span Theatre (rooted in part in Kid Koala's book, Nufonia Must Fall, which I worked on back when I was still at ECW Press), as well as a rare appearance by Lederhosen Lucil. Lucil has all but hung up her hosen these days, so don't miss this rare chance to see her live. And who knows when the Short Attention Span Theatre will return -- I'm told this is a specially commissioned resurrection.

If you can't make that show, check out one of Koala's other DJ gigs and you might be fortunate enough to hear some music from his new project, The Slew (their album is called 100%). I'll post a video from The Slew right after this. Hearing it blew my mind. Seriously. I don't say that too often.

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Roller Girls: Photography By Susan Moss

The book launch took place on Thursday, April 24, 2008 at Blizzarts (3956A St-Laurent, Montreal, QC).

Thanks to Coey Kerr for sending over these marvelous shots from the event!

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Digging Up MudScout Books

People often ask me where you can find MudScout books. And then I’ll read about how obscure and hard to find they are. The thing is, although most of the titles are still in print, they aren't in all that many stores these days -- I've handled most of the distribution myself because we're too small for most distributors to play ball with, and if the books are in stores, they tend to be specialty stores. It's tough keeping up with books on consignment in small bookstores all across North America -– I’ve had incredible help from my authors, who often sell copies at their events and through their networks, but at the end of the day, MudScout’s a one-woman show (I also work another job full-time).

The books are available on Amazon.com, but in a perfect world everyone would order directly from my online store – this is because Amazon takes a 55% cut from the list price and requires that I pay to ship copies to their warehouse in Indiana one by one, as orders come in. So I just lost $2 selling them a copy of Pipe Fiends. I had listed the book at $25 there, so my 45% cut was $11.25. Even with my Venture One card, the cheapest option for shipping via Canada Post was $13.00. And there you have it. My conundrum. If you buy directly from me, you’ll need a PayPal account. I might charge you a few bucks for shipping, but we can share the cost. This way I’ll actually recoup my costs and the authors will see something out of it too. I'm all for supporting independent bookstores, too. Some have been beyond helpful to me. Others have kept my books for a month, decided they're not moving fast enough, and asked me to come pick them up, unwilling to pay for a copy that was lost/damaged on their end. Others have gone under (it's not an easy business these days) and I've never been paid. It can get to be frustrating.

My online store is looking a little off-kilter right now but I assure you it works. Update coming very soon – you’ll hear about it here first. Contact me at [email protected] should you have any problems.

Here are a few places where you can find MudScout books:

MudScout’s Online Store

Amazon.com

Biz Books

Chapters Downtown Montreal

Local 23

Rollergirl.ca

Sin City Skates

Sophia Books

Homegrown Skateboards

Skull Skates

Underworld And at various derby/zine/book/craft events whenever I can.

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Pipe Fiends Show & Tell

Photo by PA Parfond

Just a sampling of the reams of Big O Pipe artifacts Barry Walsh & Marc Tison have collected over the years... This is MTL roots & culture - see more in the Pipe Fiends book.

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The Joy of Hosen: Lederhosen Lucil Up Close Und Pictorial (2006) was designed by artist and master poster maker Todd “Breeree” Stewart. The 96-page book features photographer Jocelyn Michel’s juicy shots of Lucil sporting each of her unique hosen.

A few reviews:

“The Joy of Hosen is an intriguing book, blending collage and colour photographs. Lucil is photogenic, charismatic, and obviously not shy. She looks good in lederhosen, no question . . . There’s a demure, innocent quality to Lucil’s look—more playful burlesque spoofing than fetish.” -Ottawa XPress, March 23 2006 “... charmant petit livre renfermant photos, dessins et historique des différents costumes portés par la mignonne Teutonne au fil des ans” -ici, 30 Mars 2006 “From her humble beginnings at a dingy basement martini party in Toronto to her rise as an indie-electro cult icon in Montreal, the life of Lederhosen Lucil is now available in book form. The Joy of Hosen: Lederhosen Lucil Up Close und Pictorial is a scrapbook of Krista Muir’s eight years spent donning blond braids and Bavarian short pants.” -Dose, 22 March 2006