Curious to know a bit more about the Works Progress Administration — the folks that built all those bridges you still see when you drive two lane highways? Or that wrote those wonderful state guides?
The New York Times has a concise description of the program accompanying a series of articles about WPA-related projects.
Recommended.
And here’s another related and interesting article — Going Down the Road – Places Captured in Time, but Not Frozen There.
“The American Guide Series of books, … was produced during the Depression by the Federal Writers’ Project and has become part of the canon of American travel writing.”
And I found this in a U.S. Senate document:
The American Guide Series is a highly collectible set of books; many people search the shelves of antiquarian book shops in an attempt to bring together the entire series. The Guide Series’ value continues to increase, with some titles now worth several hundred dollars. Two of the more desirable titles include the first edition Idaho volume, most of which were destroyed in a warehouse fire, and the Dakota volumes, which had very limited printings. The recent popularity of the series has also prompted publishing houses to reissue selected titles in attractive and affordable paperback editions.