(CINCINNATI, OH / April 2008)—Writer’s Digest Magazine has selected “The Stone Garden Guide: Armenia and Karabagh,” as one of the best independently published books of the past year.

“Armenia and Karabagh,” a 304-page illustrated travel guide by authors Matthew Karanian and Robert Kurkjian, was one of hundreds of titles competing in this year’s 15th Annual Writer’s Digest International Self-Published Book Awards.

The announcement is published in the April 2008 edition of the magazine.

The book, which was published in September 2006 by Stone Garden Productions, was selected as an Honorable Mention in the category of Reference Books. This category includes travel guides, as well as education guides, law books, investment guides, and many other reference titles published in 2006.

“We’re really thrilled to have earned this honor,” said Kurkjian. “We are proud of Armenia and Karabagh.” The award also helps to publicize our ancient homeland and the importance of natural resource conservation, he said.

According to Writer’s Digest, the book presents a “fascinating view” of Armenia. One of the judges explained the decision to recognize “Armenia and Karabagh“ as one of the top books of the year: “This is not a country that is high on the lists of most travelers, but the authors present such a fascinating view of Armenia that readers will find themselves wanting to go. The layout of the book is effective and easy to navigate. The information on each location or event is complete. It is obvious that the authors enjoyed creating this book.”

The awards competition is sponsored annually by Writer’s Digest, which was founded in 1920 and is published by F & W Publications, Inc. The book will be featured in the March 2008 edition of Writer’s Digest magazine.

No other book in print about Armenia features as large a collection of travel photography, or contains information as comprehensive about both Armenia and Karabagh.

“Armenia and Karabagh” has sold copies in dozens of countries worldwide on every continent except Antarctica. In addition to the popular US and Canada markets, the publishers report sales in Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Israel, The Netherlands, Romania, The Republic of South Africa, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, The United Kingdom, and Syria.