#americanguideseries

[craighodgkins]

My Year of the Book - Day 143: This week, WPA Wednesday brings the first volumes from a few regional publishers into play. Binfords & Mort was based in Portland, Oregon, so it made sense for them to publish American Guide Series volumes for Nevada, Oregon and Washington state. What this trio of books may have lacked in design uniformity or flair (although the cover art of the Oregon guide is pretty cool), they made up in volume, as the Oregon and Washington books were two of the longest in the series. Still, the content is quite informative and solid, and they are each a worthy (and especially in the case of Nevada, somewhat rare in a first printing), additions to the series. #book #wpa #americanguideseries #bookish #rarebooks #firstedition #travelguide #1930s #1940s #yearofthebook #bibliophile #bookish #booklover #booknerd #bookgeek #americana #mylibrary

[craighodgkins]

My Year of the Book - Day 136: WPA Wednesday! Hastings House was the final sizable publisher for the American Guide Series, with eight original state guides and some city guides (in addition to the 48 states, Alaska and Puerto Rico, hardcover guides were produced for many major U.S. cities, including a 2-volume set for NYC). The HH states were: Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. Hastings House also acquired the rights to produce subsequent printings of other state and regional books when the original publisher(s) chose not to reprint. Many WPA guides from HH and others went into six or seven large printings in first editions, but a few others were also updated as second editions (California was updated twice; in 1954 and 1967). The Hastings House books were not as uniform as others in the series, and only California was produced with a large, folding map bound into the rear endpapers. #wpaguides #wpa #americanguideseries #travelguide #travel #guidebook #bibliophile #bookish #yearofthebook #booknut #bookstagram #bookshelf #reading #americana #mylibrary #booklover #california #arkansas #arizona #colorado #louisiana #newmexico #texas #utah #rarebooks #firstedition #oldbooks #bookworm #1930s #1940s

[craighodgkins]

My Year of the Book - Day 129: WPA Wednesday! The six volumes of the American Guide Series published by Houghton Mifflin in 1937 were the most uniform in appearance of the series and the most geographically connected. Somehow, HM gained the rights to all the New England states, which gave them the opportunity to cross promote their set on the rear of each dust jacket using a map of the region. All but Rhode Island were bound in leatherette of various colors (RI was rough cloth) and each first printing came with a fold out map in a bound in pocket inside the rear cover. Subsequent printings omitted the map and pocket, leading some to believe that the HM guides were never issued with maps. The first/first of the Massachusetts guide is the most collectible, as it was quickly revised because of a few “opinionated” passages. The WPA writers tended to lean to the left, and one paragraph that was deemed “too sympathetic” to convicted murderers and anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti snuck past the politically correct folks editing the editors. This was made more awkward because a letter from the governor extolled the virtues of the guide in the front of the book. :) More next week! #wpa #wpaguides #massachusetts #connecticut #rhodeisland #newhampshire #vermont #maine #bookstagram #rarebooks #firstedition #oldbooks #newengland #book #bookish #booknerd #booknut #bookgeek #booklover #mylibrary #reading #travel #travelguide #bookaddict #americanguideseries