Automobile Blue Book

The Automobile Blue Book was an American series of road guides for motoring travelers in the United States and Canada published between 1901 and 1929.

Directions were not necessarily intended to be the shortest or fastest connection between each city, but to provide interesting scenery and opportunities for rest and maintenance along the route.

Early pathfinders were actually bicyclists, but eventually automobile clubs – especially those of the AAA – became the major source of routes compiled by the Blue Book.

[2]: 17  By 1907 the Blue Book had its own fleet of cars and professional pathfinders working in teams of two to create and update routes.

With the Ford Motor Company's release of the Model T in 1908, the article's advertisements evidenced a shift toward a larger middle class market as touring in automobiles became more accessible.

Cover of Automobile Blue Book volume 1, 1921
Map of Little Rock, Arkansas from the 1920 Automobile Blue Book.
Route from 1914 Automobile Blue Book , showing a garage advertisement and start of route between Palmer, Massachusetts and Willimantic, Connecticut
Index map of volumes in the Automobile Blue Book series, 1921