Gifts to Take You Places : A whole earth catalogue of the season’s best gear for actual or armchair travelers : BOOKSTORES : COLEMAN ANDREWS

For as long as human beings have been traveling, they’ve been sharing information and opinions about their routes and destinations with each other. The urge to do so is apparently as strong as the yen to visit somewhere different in the first place.

That’s why folks subject their friends to narrated slide shows of their trips to Tahiti and Toronto. That’s why retirees just back from their first world cruise and honeymooners fresh from a week of newly-wedded bliss in Positano send wide-eyed descriptions of their experiences to local newspapers. And that’s why real writers, from Hans Christian Andersen to Edith Wharton, Robert Benchley to Mark Twain, pen accounts of their own journeys--and, of course, why the publication of travel guidebooks and maps is a multimillion-dollar business today.

What is not a multimillion-dollar business is the small-scale selling of travel guidebooks and maps. Map stores and travel bookshops are highly specialized concerns with small profit margins, facing stiff competition from full-service bookshops and discount super-stores. The proprietor of a respected cookbook store in Chicago closed the place recently after he realized that a local discount chain was retailing new titles for less than he could buy them wholesale.

The same kind of competition faces travel specialists. Yet a surprising number of travel bookshops seem to be going strong today, run by knowledgeable, travel-loving individuals. They’re great places for holiday shopping (even for people who aren’t going anywhere), great resources if you’re planning a trip and great places in which to simply browse and soak up the worldly atmosphere.

Here are profiles of three prominent travel bookstores in Los Angeles, each with its own personality and specialties, followed by a sampling, listed alphabetically by area, of other Southern California stores, plus map and travel equipment stores which also sell books.

In the Old Town section of Pasadena, Distant Lands is a small, handsome, cozy store with a pale blue-sky ceiling, a little reading nook (complete with sofa and armchair) in one corner and pieces of old travel-worn luggage scattered here and there. Crowded into every nook and corner of the place are guidebooks, works of travel literature (“literary travel” or “armchair travel”), coffee-table photo books devoted to exotic climes, language guides and cassettes, maps, videos (for sale or rent), travel-themed calendars and greeting cards, cut-out cardboard models of famous monuments (the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Rialto Bridge)--about 7,000 items in all, says proprietor Adrian Kalvinskas.

A 27-year-old native Pasadenan who majored in history at the University of California at San Diego, Kalvinskas opened the place in 1989. “I liked bookstores,” he says, “I liked to travel and I liked Old Pasadena, so I figured out a way to put them all together.”

Travel trends have changed in the past three years, according to Kalvinskas. “When we first opened,” he notes, “people seemed to want more general titles--an overall guide to Europe, say. Now they’re much more specific. They want a guide to Tuscany or Provence or a walking guide to Paris, or something.” The two most popular destinations among his customers right now, he says, seem to be Indonesia and Costa Rica, though he has also noticed an increase in sales of U.S. titles--”Probably because of the economy, which keeps more people at home.”

Kalvinskas is disappointed in many of the conventional guidebook series. “They usually start off strong when they first come out,” he says, “with lots of original material, and then slack off by the second or third edition. With any series, I always look at their Southern California or L.A. guide and see what they have to say about Pasadena. If it’s out-of-date or incorrect, it makes me wonder how accurate they are about Paris or Tokyo.”

Recommendations from Kalvinskas, for “good reading”: “The Lady and the Monk” by Pico Iyer, “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle and “Paris Dreambook” by Lawrence Osborne (all available in Vintage paperback editions, all priced at $10).

Distant Lands, 62 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena 91105, (818) 449- 3220. Open Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Mondays until Christmas, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or later. Catalogue available upon request.

Brian Draper got his first business experience in the family restaurant business (the Drapers own the Don’s coffee shops in Burbank and Victorville, among other establishments), and later, with a degree in geography from Cal State Northridge, worked for several years at the Thomas Brothers map and travel book emporium downtown. In 1986, he struck out on his own to open Geographia in Toluca Lake.

Geographia isn’t as homey as Distant Lands. It looks a bit like a stationery store or maybe a school bookshop. There are maps and globes everywhere (including Thomas Brothers products, topographic maps of California, nautical and aeronautical maps and lots of city maps and trekking maps), and there is a good selection of travel accessories--suitcase locks, neck pillows, money belts and the like. There are also videos for sale or rent. The book portion of the store offers an extensive selection of guidebooks, with only a small selection of travel literature (mostly in paperback). Because there are so many motion picture, TV and advertising companies in the neighborhood, says Draper, he is often called upon to supply research material, aids for location scouting and such.

Recommendations? “I always feel comfortable selling people the Lonely Planet and Insight guides,” says Draper, “and I always get good feedback on them. For armchair travel books, the Vintage paperbacks are always really great.” He also recommends The Best of Granta Travel (Granta Books/Penguin, $10 paper), an anthology of pieces from that noted book-format literary magazine.

Geographia, 4000 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake 91505, (818) 848-1414. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.

The California Map & Travel Center in Santa Monica started life in downtown L.A. as Renie’s Map Service more than 50 years ago. The daughter of the original proprietor moved the store to its present location about 10 years ago, and about four years ago it was sold to the present owners, former accountant Sheldon Mars and his wife, Barbara. The Marses have expanded the merchandise dramatically. “There used to be about three travel books in the store,” says Sheldon. “Now we’ve got thousands.” There is also a particularly large line of travel accessories, a selection of videos for sale or rent, a children’s section, an array of several dozen atlases and 70 or 80 globes, shelves of language tapes and books, a bit of travel-themed jewelry and of course maps of all kinds--from topographic charts to schoolroom wall maps to reproductions of antique maps--over 9,800 different items in stock. The store, which is large and rambling and attractively cluttered, also maintains its own laminating and mounting facility.

The travel literature and coffee-table selections are limited here, but are being expanded. There is also a small section of out-of-print books, mostly Californiana, and a scattering of books on gems and minerology, railroads and Western history--a special interest of book buyer James Schumacher.

Schumacher has no specific travel literature recommendations, but says that he likes the look of the forthcoming Fodor’s Explorer guidebook series, the first titles of which are due out this month.

California Map & Travel Center, 3211 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica 90405, (310) 829-6277. Open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

All of the stores in the following list will service mail orders.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

Maps, Etc. , 21919 Sherman Way, Canoga Park 91303, (818) 347-9160. Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. About two-thirds to three-quarters maps, says new owner Jim Mitchell--a former banker who says “I’m just somebody who loves to sit and look at maps.” Very little travel literature and only a small language section, but a good choice of standard guidebooks.

Pasadena Maps , 1778 Colorado Blvd., Pasadena 91106, (818) 795-3626. Open Monday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “Books aren’t a major part of our business,” says Gary Kroah, who bought this veteran map shop 11 years ago. He does carry general guidebooks, though, and a selection of books on hiking--in addition to a broad choice of maps, atlases and globes.

The Travel Emporium , 19810 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills 91364, (818) 592-0718. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sundays through Christmas, noon to 5 p.m. An all-purpose travel store owned by former restaurateur Glenn Hughes and his fiancee Nicci Nelson, selling luggage and travel accessories, maps and travel books in roughly equal quantities. Hughes is particularly proud of his selection of language books and records. Videos for sale or rent.

The Travel Gallery , 1007 Manhattan Ave., Manhattan Beach 90266, (310) 379-9199. Holiday hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Not much travel literature, says owner Donna Gibbs, but a selection of historical works about various countries in addition to conventional travel guides, maps, travel dictionaries and phrase books and some accessories. Videos for sale or rent.

Thomas Brothers , 603 W. Seventh St., Los Angeles 90017, (213) 627-4018; toll-free number, (800) 899-MAPS. Open Monday-Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturdays through Christmas, same hours. Besides Thomas Brothers publications covering Los Angeles and vicinity, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Phoenix, this store stocks a large selection of other maps (“If there’s a map made,” says manager Steven Newman, “we try to carry it--and if we don’t have it, we can usually get it within a week.”) and of guidebooks from many publishers. Some travel accessories. A specialty: American state and city road maps.

Traveler’s Bookcase , 8375 W. Third St., Los Angeles 90048, (213) 655-0575. Holiday hours: Monday-Wednesday and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Thursday to 8 p.m.); Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to a good selection of guidebooks, this year-old store specializes in childrens’ travel books and in travel literature. Also: maps, language books and tapes, videos for sale or rent and travel-related gifts. “We also maintain a collection of back issues of travel magazines and newsletters, and have facilities to take passport pictures,” says Priscilla Ulene, co-owner of the store with Harriett Bay. A store catalogue and newsletter are available upon request.

ORANGE COUNTY

Allied Maps , 966 N. Main St., Orange 92667, (714) 532-4300 and 637-8824. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Though basically a map store--”Among other things,” says owner Larry Winkelman, “we have the best selection of topographic maps of any dealer in the country, with 54,000 of them covering all 50 states”--Allied does stock a good choice of guidebooks dealing with off-road driving, jeep trails, mining camps, ghost towns and assorted American historical subjects. The store also maintains a map-related computer bulletin board; call (714) 633-0644.

Rand McNally: The Map and Travel Store , 3333 Bristol St., South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa 92626, (714) 545-9907; Holiday hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. One of the 22 Rand McNally shops around the country (new ones are tentatively planned for Glendale and Century City), this store carries a wide range of guidebooks and specializes in lesser-known titles from small publishers, and/or dealing with non-traditional travel destinations (i.e., Antarctica). About 20 % of the merchandise is published by Rand McNally, says manager Mary Coleman.

Thomas Brothers , 17731 Cowan Ave., Irvine 92714, (714) 474-7655; toll-free number, (800) 899-MAPS. See listing under L.A. County.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

The Map Center, 2611 University Ave., San Diego 92104, (619) 291-3830. Open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “We’re a map store selling books, not a bookstore selling maps,” says retired naval Chief Petty Officer Tommy Thompson, who has run this store with his wife, Cam, for 22 years. The books he does carry mostly tie in with his maps, he adds--specific guidebooks, hiking books, books on geology and the like. The Map Center’s slogan is “If you can’t find it on our maps, it’s lost.”

Rand McNally: The Map and Travel Store , 243 Horton Plaza, San Diego 92101, (619) 234-3341. See listing under Orange County.

The Traveler’s Depot , 1655 Garnet Ave., San Diego 92109, (619) 483-1421. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Another one-stop travel store, divided almost equally between maps, books and accessories. (The store doesn’t sell a wide range of luggage but does stock carry-on bags and internal-frame backpacks.)

Word Journeys , 667 San Rodolfo Drive, Suite 131, Solana Beach, (619) 481-4158. Open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Corporate dropout and former executive travel consultant Angie Brenner specializes in travel literature--”We’re all readers here,” she says--but also stocks a number of coffee-table books, guidebooks, language books and cassettes, and sells the TravelPro Rollaboard line of luggage.

Along with books, Distant Lands in Pasadena has a place to read them.