Administration

1939 · ref. 81526 — Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co 1939. Presumed First Edition First printing. Hardcover. Good/Fair. W. Lincoln Highton Photographer--unless otherwise. 178 4 pages. Illustrated endpapers. Illustrations. DJ in a plastic sleeve is soiled worn torn chipped and missing portions at top and bottom. Preface by Henry G. Alsberg. This work was Sponsored by the Guild's Committee of Federal Writers' Publications Inc. This is on of the American Guide Series. This work is organized in the following sections: Washington: The Planner The Plan and Its Evolution; Government: The Capitol The White House The Departments and Independent Agencies; Embassies Shrines and Monuments Historic Houses Churches Museums Libraries Galleries and Learned Societies Organizations International and National Festivals and Scenes Environs Arlington Mount Vernon Alexandria Virginia and Outline Tours in Washington and Vicinity. The Federal Writers' Project FWP was a federal government project in the United States created to provide jobs for out-of-work writers during the Great Depression. It was part of the Works Progress Administration WPA a New Deal program. It was one of a group of New Deal arts programs known collectively as Federal Project Number One. The FWP employed thousands of people and produced hundreds of publications including state guides city guides local histories oral histories ethnographies and children's books. In addition to writers the Project provided jobs to unemployed librarians clerks researchers editors and historians. The American Guide series the most well-known of the FWP's publications consisted of guides to the then 48 states as well as the Alaska Territory Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. The books were written and compiled by writers from individual states and territories and edited by Alsberg and his staff in Washington D.C. The format was generally uniform and each guide included detailed histories of the state or territory with descriptions of every city and town automobile travel routes photographs maps and chapters on natural resources culture and geography. The inclusion of essays about the various cultures of people living in the states including immigrants and African Americans was unprecedented. In each state a Writers' Project non-relief staff of editors was formed along with a much larger group of field workers drawn from local unemployment rolls. The people hired came from a variety of backgrounds ranging from former newspaper workers to white-collar and blue-collar workers without writing or editing experience. A. C. McClurg & Co hardcover