(BUSINESS--DIRECTORIES.) Victor H. Green, editor. The Negro Travelers' Green Book. 80 pages plus [4] pages of illustrations at center fold. 8vo, original colored wrappers, minimal wear. [New York], 1958
The indispensable travel guide for Black families, from a time when long-distance travel would be a cause for apprehension about finding lodging, gasoline, or even a restroom. Friendly service stations, hotels, nightclubs and restaurants are arranged by state across the country--North and South. The cover of this edition states "Carry your Green Book with you . . . You may need it!" The last Green Book was printed in 1966.
Most Green Books of this era were priced at $1.25 on the cover, and were presumably offered for sale at gas stations or bookstores. This one was printed as a special promotional giveaway by the Esso Standard Oil Company. On the cover, "Spring 1958" is in a different font than usually seen on the 1958 edition, it does not have "$1.25" in the upper right corner, and it bears a band of additional text, "Presented With The Compliments Of The Esso Men." It includes an additional 4-page centerfold introducing two Black public relations officers from Esso, and then showing their educational work in the community, an integrated classroom at the Esso Training Center, and a Black-owned Esso filling station in Buffalo, NY.
Provenance: property of the consignor's grandmother in western New York.
