One night back in 1994, instructor and palpatory anatomy expert Andrew Biel was awakened by an idea. He rolled out of bed, grabbed a yellow pad of paper and scribbled, “Road Map Human Body, book that connects stuff together.” Three years later, he turned that vision into a reality by publishing Trail Guide to the Body — an engaging text that teaches how to explore, map, and navigate surface anatomy of the musculoskeletal system. And so, Books of Discovery was born. The rest, as they say, is history.
After twenty plus years, several new editions, and more than 1,000,000 copies sold, Trail Guide to the Body has become the best-selling textbook and “gold standard” in musculoskeletal anatomy and palpation for manual therapy students.
In the meantime, we’ve published additional manual therapy textbooks, and created many tools to support our educators and students. All designed to facilitate remarkable teaching and learning outcomes.
Books of Discovery is one of the most respected publishers of foundational manual therapy textbooks, serving over 2,700 programs in nearly 40 countries – numbers that are growing every year. These include programs preparing students for careers in athletic training, massage therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and various other bodywork and healthcare professions.
With each new program requiring our books, we are constantly developing new ways to boost student performance, enhance instructor effectiveness, and create successful hands-on practitioners.
Success stories: Explore how we’re helping instructors and students succeed.
There’s magic in our people, our collaborative process, and our discovery-rich products. Students and instructors can see it the instant they open one of our books. Because at Books of Discovery, we believe the most powerful educational products are those that:
With an enthusiast’s outlook, a pioneer’s hunger, and instructor’s unique perspective, Andrew Biel founded Books of Discovery in 1997. He is the author of Trail Guide to the Body and Trail Guide to Movement and an expert in palpatory anatomy. He has served on the faculties of Boulder College of Massage Therapy and Seattle Massage School and has taught Cadaver Studies for Bodyworkers at Bastyr University.
In 2011 Andrew received the Massage Therapy Foundation’s Humanitarian Award for his dedication to advancing the massage therapy profession.
Drew lives outside of Port Townsend, Wash., with his family—Lyn, Grace, and Elias.
Meet the dedicated staff who manage our day-to-day operations.
Since joining Books of Discovery in 2001 and becoming company president in 2023, Rhoni has continuously explored ways to help Books of Discovery thrive —whether improving processes or deepening relationships. Encouraging growth is her passion. She embraces “navigating the ever-changing educational resource landscape.” Rhoni enjoys playing tennis and connecting with friends and family, especially her daughters, Alex and Kennedy.
Having been in the manual therapy world since 1988, Tim is your man when it comes to finding big, bold solutions. He enjoys collaborating with our passionate, motivated team and solving problems that keep the rest of us awake at night. But Tim’s also a sucker for people. “They’re one of my top three favorite species,” he says. So when Tim leaves for the day, he’s with friends, sharing meals, taking in lectures, and attending cultural events — both high and lowbrow.
Michael has degrees and training in just about everything— kinesiology, exercise science, acupuncture, herbology, aikido, tae kwon do, fencing and even Western and Eastern sword styles. When asked what makes his work meaningful, he says, “It’s having a positive impact on the healers of tomorrow. Everything I do is tied to helping instructors give their students a great education.” Outside of work, spending time with his wife and kids is, hands down, his favorite thing to do.
As our production manager, or “content mystic,” Dana works with the team to piece together the pages of our textbooks. While his attention to detail ensures that every deadline is met and timeline honored, he thrives on the opportunity to produce textbooks that so many people love. Dana has an identical twin brother who he says “looks nothing like me,” and after logging off for the day, he enjoys spending time with family and taking care of his house.
After more than a decade with Books of Discovery, Linda has learned a thing or two about our educational materials, making her an expert at pinpointing customer solutions. With a flair for managing minute details, she also oversees the logistics for our conference exhibits and Accounts Receivables. Outside of the office, Linda enjoys traveling, going to Colorado Rockies games, and birding. In fact, Linda has more than 900 species of birds on her “life list” of sightings.
A lifelong passion for education and a laser-focused dedication to instructor and student success are why Renee is thrilled to come to work every day. “Matching smart people with cool products that help teachers teach and students learn is my jam!” When not talking about the latest ingenious Books of Discovery product, you’ll find Renee enjoying one of the many theaters in Colorado, either as an actor or audience member, running the beautiful back roads of Boulder, or cuddling with her dog.
Creative to the core with a fine arts and education background, Tracy is not one to color inside the lines when it comes to customer solutions. She finds creative inspiration in unexpected places and uses this to bring fresh ideas to her AT and MT instructors and to her marketing team. Come rain or snow, you’ll find Tracy adventuring with her dog, ski touring, or taming her wild horses. She also enjoys drawing, painting, and expanding her energetic horizons.
With a strong love for talking to someone new on the phone every day, the role of Customer Support Manager was practically made for Louisa. She is proactive, extremely organized, and enjoys stepping into our customers’ journeys, offering a unique ability to create an inventive solution to just about any dilemma. When stepping out for the day, Louisa either is at her Pilates studio or at the barn with her horse, which gets an equine massage on a regular basis.
Danielle is essential to keeping the world of Books of Discovery turning. She’s a friendly voice our customers hear when they call and takes pride in ensuring they experience the very best service. Outside of the office, Danielle loves a good road trip – or even a bike trip. In fact, she once rode her bike from Canada to Los Angeles. She also enjoys exploring the outdoors with her husband and dog, and almost always brings a painting kit along to document their many adventures.
Endeavoring to make sure instructors feel supported, Eva thoughtfully helps them along their path to adopting our textbooks. She focuses on building and maintaining meaningful customer relationships and serves as the team lead for our occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant accounts. Outside of the publishing offices, you might find her on her Peloton bike, herding chickens, or exploring the PNW with her husband and little pup, Georgie.
BUSINESS MASTERY
In August 2022, Books of Discovery became the new publisher of Business Mastery and The Ethics of Touch, previously published by Sohnen-Moe Associates.
For the time being, these instructor and student resources will continue to be hosted on the Sohnen-Moe Associates website. Click the link below in order to request access to these resources:
THE ETHICS OF TOUCH
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE SAMPLES
STUDENT RESOURCE SAMPLES
FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY FOR OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE SAMPLES
STUDENT RESOURCE SAMPLES
Functional Anatomy for Occupational Therapy
Business Mastery
The Ethics of Touch
Applied Anatomy & Physiology for Manual Therapists, 2nd Edition
To reset your password you must be logged out of your account.
TRAIL GUIDE TO THE BODY
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE SAMPLES
STUDENT RESOURCE SAMPLES
TRAIL GUIDE TO MOVEMENT
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE SAMPLES
STUDENT RESOURCE SAMPLES
A MASSAGE THERAPIST'S GUIDE TO PATHOLOGY
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE SAMPLES
APPLIED ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY FOR MANUAL THERAPISTS
INSTRUCTOR RESOURCE SAMPLES
STUDENT RESOURCE SAMPLES
Trail Guide to the Body, 6th edition
Trail Guide to Movement, 2nd edition
A Massage Therapist's Guide to Pathology, 7th edition
