Excerpts from the Daily Times, Salisbury Md
By Ted Shockley - May 2007
Staff Writer 
 

ONANCOCK -- The Rev. Kirk Mariner graduated from Yale University the same day as President George W. Bush, once was pastor at one of the state's largest United Methodist churches, has published 130 articles in the Eastern Shore News and authored eight books.

But he is best known for writing a paperback guidebook, full of maps and information, that encourages drivers to get off the Shore's major thoroughfare, explore its history-rich communities and take the long way home. "If people recognize my name," Mariner said, "they recognize it for that book." 

Along the way, "Off 13: The Eastern Shore Guidebook," published 20 years ago this year, has become the area's definitive travel and historical guide -- a book built for touring, reference or pleasure reading.

Two decades later, "Off 13," as it is almost exclusively known, is in its ninth printing and has sold more than 20,000 copies. And its title and content are part of the local culture.