Guidebooks
First and foremost, look to travel guides to provide guidance on how someone could travel to and from or within a specified geographic region at the time of the travel guide's publication.
Designed for travelers, these travel guides often contain a multitude of valuable information:
- maps
- timetables
- places to visits
- restaurants
- hotel accommodations
In addition, travel guides were sometimes published, with a focus on a particular travel constituency. For instance, the Green Books were published, in order to provide a list of hotels, restaurants, bars, gas stations, etc. where black travelers would be welcome.
To find travel guides, we recommend searching either NYPL's Online Research Catalog and in digital archives like HathiTrust. When searching through these online catalogs, the basic keywords and subject terms to use are: [place name] guidebooks.
See the boxes below for some examples of travel books as they pertain to geographical region and/or specific travel constituency.
The Negro Motorist Green-Book: 1940. NYPL Digital Collections IMAGE ID 5206347
Catalog Tips
To access travel guides, we recommend the following searches in our Online Research Catalog.
As such, type the following into either keyword or subject heading searches:
Guidebooks [Location of Interest]
- Example: Guidebooks France
Guidebooks Travel [Location of Interest]
- Example: Guidebooks Travel Georgia
Description Travel [Location of Interest]
- Example: Description Travel New York
If you are searching for New York City travel guides specifically, we highly recommend reviewing our research guide Old Time Tours-19th Century Guidebooks. This guide contains information on how to search and access these guidebooks in our collection, as well as additional useful resources.
A Selection of Travel Guides
As mentioned above in our "Catalog Tips," we do recommend first reviewing our research guide Old Time Tours-19th Century Guidebooks when researching NYC guidebooks. This guide contains information on how to search and access these guidebooks in our collection, as well as additional useful resources. In the meantime, please see below for a select few recommendations of guidebooks in NYC:
- The complete guide to Queens... compiled under the direction of Alexander Gross, F.R.G.S. compiled under the direction of Alexander Gross, F.R.G.S. 1950.
- Index and Text: Map Div. (Queens, N.Y. 1950) (Georgraphia Map Co. Inc.) Index
- Map: Map Div. 22-1213 Map
- Polk's Staten Island (Borough of Richmond) directory : containing an alphabetical directory of business concerns and private citizens with wives' first names shown, a street and avenue guide, and much information of a miscellaneous character : also a buyers' guide and a complete classified business directory. Vol. 1, 1933-34.
- AZE (Staten Island) (Polk's Staten Island (Borough of Richmond) directory)
- The red book information and street guide of Brooklyn borough, City of New York. 1928
- Map Div. 00-12393
- The "Red Book" information and street guide to New York City : Manhattan and Bronx boroughs ; with new systems indexed map / Interstate Map Company. 1933
- Map Div. 01-5700
- Street & subway guide to Manhattan and the Bronx [1922]
- Available via HathiTrust- Columbia University
- Please note that the record says 1922, but the copyright on the title page says 1924-25.
Besides these guidebooks, many maps in our collection showcase information on the subway, elevated rails, and ferry lines for NYC. Please review the Local Transit Maps Tab to see some examples.
- The American traveller ; or, Guide through the United States, containing brief notices of the several states, cities, principal towns, canals and rail roads, etc. ; with tables of distances by stage, canal and steam boat routes, 2nd ed. 1836
- Map Div. 86-3213
- Colorado travelore, a pocket guide; romance of its trails, railroads, highways, and airways. 1943
- IWP (Brigham, L. R. Colorado travelore)
- Ensign, Bridgman & Fanning's lake and river guide ... traveler's companion to the cities ... on the western waters of the United States ... 1856
- Stuart 8847
- Immigration to the United States, 1789-1830
- List of digitized guidebooks that focus on immigration and were for immigrants during this time frame
- Available via Harvard University
- Phelps' hundred cities and large towns of America : with railroad distances throughout the United States, maps of thirteen cities, and other embellishments. 1853
- KAT p.v. 113 10 titles
- KNE (Phelps' hundred cities and large towns of America. 1853) KAT p.v. 113, no. 9 (1853)
- Splitdorf route book : maps and routes in all states. [191-?]
- Map Div. (United States. 191-) (Splitdorf route book)
- The travellers guide, or, Map of the roads, canals & rail roads of the United States, with the distances from place to place. [1836]
- Map Div. 01-5286
- Available digitally via NYPL Digital Collections
- Water exploring : a guide to pleasant steamboat trips everywhere. 1902
- KAT p.v. 118 8 titles
- The air travellers' guide to Europe. 1929
- VDYC (Macmillan, N. Air travellers' guide to Europe)
- Australia for the tourist. [1914]
- Available digitally via HathiTrust- University of Melbourne
- A Handbook for travellers in India, Burma, and Ceylon : including the provinces of Bengal, Bombay, and Madras ; the Punjab, North-West provinces, Rajputana, Central Provinces, Mysore, etc. ; the native states, Assam and Cashmere. 1903
- KCV (Handbook for travellers in India. 1903)
- Available digitally via HathiTrust-NYPL
- Railway, steamship, airway tourist map and guide book to Europe. [1948?]
- KFB (Jancourt, L. Railway, steamship, airway tourist map)
- The real Europe pocket guide. 1927
- Available digitally via HathiTrust- University of Michigan
- Includes list of steamship companies making transatlantic trips.
- The Satchel Guide to Europe. 1872-1924
- Digitized copies for 1872-1924 are available via HathiTrust
- Includes list of different routes and methods of travel, to see Europe.
- Standard guide to Cuba; a new and complete guide to the island of Cuba, with maps, illustrations, routes of travel, history and an English-Spanish phrase book. 1906
- HOY (Standard guide to Cuba. 1906)
- Available digitally via HathiTrust- Harvard University
- Green Book Research Guide
- Guide on how to to access NYPL's collection of The Green Book for Black American travelers in the United States 1936-1966, additional travel guides for Black Americans, and additional resources to understand the significance of The Green Book
- Immigration to the United States, 1789-1830
- List of digitized guidebooks that were geared towards immigrants to the United States during the 18th and early 19th century
- Available via Harvard University
- Mapping the Gay Guides
- Electronic database that maps locations listed in the Bob Damron Address Books, which listed businesses and establishments for Gay travelers
- Covers the years of 1965-1980
- The trolley wayfinder; official publication of the New England Street Railway Club. 1903-16 (Incomplete)
- KP (Trolley Wayfinder)
- The trolley wayfinder : official publication of the New England Street Railway Club : containing valuable information for travellers by trolley : cities and towns reached by electric railways, alphabetically arranged : distance, fare and time between points touched by trolley cars throughout New England. 1908
- Available digitally via HathiTrust- Harvard University