MapQuest, the AOL-owned online mapping service, announced that it will be extending its reach into print publishing later this summer, releasing a series of atlases, customized maps and "bookazines" geared for the average American traveler.

Though most Web-savvy surfers know MapQuest as a Web site, the company boasts a long history with mapping. Since the '60s, MapQuest has produced custom-created maps for companies like Shell Oil Co., the National Geographic Society and The Reader's Digest Association Inc.

"Many people may not be aware of the fact that MapQuest's history starts with a group of bona fide cartographers who produced printed maps … before the Internet even existed," MapQuest Senior Vice President and General Manager Tommy McGloin said.

Now the company will return to its printing roots with six versions of the North American road atlas, which includes large print and pocket-sized editions.

The company will also release a series of customized maps that include guides to zoos, parks, historic sites, golf courses and similar attractions, and new travel guides, or bookazines, that will focus on travelers' particular interests.

NASCAR fanatics, for instance, will be able to use the Auto Racing Track Guide and Atlas to locate all NASCAR racing sites and find race track diagrams, in addition to lodging and dining near those locations.

In the light of this year's groundbreaking Google Maps and increased search abilities for all online mapping services, the foray into mass-market publishing could seem to be an attempt on America Online Inc.'s part to differentiate MapQuest from the other online mapping services.

However, MapQuest spokesperson Brian Hoyt said nothing could be further from the truth, saying that the AOL mapping site owns 70 percent of the market share (or 41 million users per month) online, making it the number-one mapping service on the Web.

"Even with the entry of folks like Yahoo and Google into the mapping arena, our audience continues to grow at a faster rate than MSN, Google and Yahoo," Hoyt said. "And it's part of a larger business objective for AOL, as AOL is finding a new way to extend business that doesn't depend on its subscription service."

The MapQuest publications will hit the market in late summer, and will be available at most major book outlets such as Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, Wal-Mart and Target, and in specialty map and travel stores. The new books will be distributed through Time-Warner Books (MapQuest's parent company) and will go head-to-head with the Old Faithful of maps, Rand McNally & Co.

Will it be a competition? It's no contest, MapQuest Publishing Vice President Jim Hilliard said.

"Rand McNally is now your grandfather's brand," Hilliard said, "and MapQuest is the more trusted brand today."

As for the future of the MapQuest Web site, all parties involved remain fairly tight-lipped about upcoming new features rolling out for the online service, which may eventually include aerial imagery (like that found on Google Maps) and traffic information (as seen on Yahoo Maps).

"We don't want to add features just because other competitors are doing it," Hoyt said. "We want to make [MapQuest] a useful experience for customers."

Hoyt said MapQuest will possibly announce new site features at the same time the books hit retail at the end of summer.

Copyright © 2005 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.