Discussion: Vintage 1967 orienteering book found in a used goods processing center

Small point that it was Bjorn Kjellstrom not Vjorn - a simple slip on the keyboard.
I'm proud to say that I am the proud owner of both that edition and an embossed (with my name) hard cover edition signed by Bjorn himself.

vintage copies of that book sell for hundreds of dollars online

Why did they put Orienteering in inverted commas?

In 1967? Not a well-known word yet in English. The British Orienteering Federation was founded in 1967, the US Orienteering Federation not until 1971. Björn moved to the USA in 1946 and wrote the book in 1955.

Oh, I see. I didn't speak any English back then ;-)

No German, either. :-)

There was a bit more to it than that.
Before Bjorn Kjellstrom moved to America and his nephew Jan moved to Britain the English word 'Orienteering' did not exist. It was adapted by the Kjellstroms from the Swedish word orientering which apparently means nvigating or navigation. They not only coined the term but apprently Bjorn took out a copywright on use of the word.
I don't know how he meant the word to be used or defined but it seems he did not defend his copywright very vogorously. That is if he meant the term to apply only to this newly evolving activity the word clearly got away from him.

Not copyright. You can't generally copyright a single word or short phrase (but it's complicated). What Björn Kjellström did (through his Silva compass company) was register a trademark for Orienteering.

(Kjellström/Silva seem to have long since given up this trademark, and it has become a generic term not specifically associated with the products of that particular company--if it ever was. In my understanding, creating and defending the association in the public eye between a trademark and the product of a specific person/company is a key legal requirement for a trademark to remain valid, but IANAL. That's why the Coca Cola Company has a whole group of lawyers going after newspapers that print "coke" without capitalizing it and restaurants that serve Pepsi Cola to customers who ask for Coke.)

I recently happened to have borrowed a library book titled, "The Sport of Orienteering," by Stig Hendenstrom and Bjorn Kellstrom, published by Silva in Canada in 1948.

The outer cover is stamped, "To Frank Elkins with compliments." Google reports that a Frank Elkins was involved in skiing at some point back in those days, but that's all I came across. Does anyone know who he is or anything about his subsequent involvement in orienteering?

The inside leaf reads, in script:

" - there may be something in this sport for the U.S.A. What do you think? Christmas Greetings - 48. Bjorn Kjellstrom."

There's also reference to a 16mm sound color film that goes along with the book. I've just discovered the ONE thing that's not on YouTube!

Cover, sign page, and photo page here: link

I've only skimmed the book at this point, but it's clear that a LOT about the sport has changed in a mere 74 years. Quite a treasure.

CC That book was originally printed/ published in Swedish in Sweden in 1943 with the title "Vår svenska skogssport" . It is available in Swedish from Nydalen Bokstore for 88 Norwegian crowns.
I'm pretty sure the Frank Elkins of the inscription would be the same Frank Elkins who was a long-time writer about skiing for the NY Times.

Love the quote in that excerpt!

"Orienteering makes young people healthy and hardy; it fortifies their heart and lungs, gives color to their cheeks and steels their will."

My will has definitely been steeled - although sometimes orienteering steals my will. :)

Yeah, I get sunburned, too...

In Bash's quote you can substitute Orienteering for Vegemite.

The old song in Aus goes 'It puts a rose in every cheek'.

Vegemite steels my will too!