When we travel today, and want recommendations on where to stay, what to eat, and the best sights to see, we probably rely on one of the many guidebooks published to help us enjoy that well deserved vacation.

Guidebooks are not a new genre, but can be traced back to the 19th century. European travelers to America often recorded their experiences and found that there was a market abroad by prospective travelers for information about what awaited them if they ventured to America. In 19th century America guidebooks had a different audience and many of the earlier examples were focused on the expansion of the American West, and tales of magnificent scenery, friendly people and a healthy environment lured people west, either as emigrants or as tourists. Land companies and railroads published this “booster literature” and made the journey and the destination inviting.

The guidebooks that were published for New York City visitors focused on the excitement of a growing metropolis. These volumes enticed tourists by boosting that New York City had the best of everything, and that there was something for everyone to enjoy. As with present day guidebooks, the 19th century variety did offer advice on where to stay, where to dine and options on how to negotiate the confusion of city streets. Many of these guidebooks were underwritten by hotels or commercial establishments, which had a stake in the tourism industry.

Browsing New York City guidebooks today, we can gain insight into the social, political and economic life of the city during a different time. The Durst Old York Collection contains several examples of this genre, and is available to be studies and evaluated as a primary source helping to tell the story of a vibrant, growing urban area.

Hotel Guests’ Guides for the City of New York, 1871. This particular book was property of Earle’s Hotel, but copies were distributed in other hotels such as the Astor House, Gramercy Park house, St. James Hotel and Grand Central Hotel.

Commercial advertisements made up nearly half of this publication to promote businesses in the NYC area.

King’s Handbook of New York City, 1871.

Early image of Madison Square Park, 1871.

Map of the neighborhoods surrounding Baruch College from A Historic Guide to the City of New York, 1909. #34 represents the site of the Free Academy, the founding college of CUNY.

The Mall from Terrace. Image of Central Park from The Metropolis Explained, 1871.

Some illustrated guidebooks provided readers with humorous tours of New York City with a satirical twist. Irvin S. Cobb wrote many “’guyed’ books providing social commentary of the people and political climate in NYC. His opinions range from the displacement of the Iroquois and the influence of bootlegging to the death of civic pride.

New York by Irvin S. Cobb, S. 1924.

This copy of New York contains a signature from Irvin S. Cobb.

“Map of the United States as it looks to a New Yorker.”

Bibliography:

• City History Club of New York, and Frank Bergen Kelly. 1909. Historical guide to the city of New York. New York: F.A. Stokes Company.
• Cobb, Irvin S. 1924. New York. New York: George H. Doran Co.
• King, Moses. 1871. King’s handbook of New York City. Boston: Moses King.
• Macoy, Robert. 1876. History of and how to see New York and its environs. New York: R. Macoy.
• The metropolis explained and illustrated in familiar form. 1871. New York: Devlin & Co.
• New York Edison Company. 1911. Glimpses of New York: an illustrated handbook of the city, together with notes on the electric industry therein and thereabout. [New York]: New York Edison Co.
• Prescott, Charles Edwin. 1871. The hotel guests’ guide for the city of New York. New York: Wm. P. Cleary.
• Souhami, C. 1914. New York illustrated. New York: Success Postal Card Co.