Federal Writers’ Project · 1937–1941
One nation, forty-nine guides, and the roads, lore, and people that fill them.
The American Guide Series was compiled under the Federal Writers’ Project of the Works Progress Administration. Each volume documents a state’s history, culture, and countryside exactly as the WPA writers recorded it during the Great Depression. All forty-nine volumes are catalogued below with their full tables of contents and bibliographic records.
They may be the Greatest Guidebooks ever Published! — New York Times
The Complete Catalog
Browse the Guides by State
Select any state below to view its guide’s history, available editions, and publication details. All forty-nine states are represented in the original series; the Hawaii guide is forthcoming.