Automobile Blue Book Vol. 3 1926 Middle Western: Mich., Ohio, Ind, Ky, Ill, Wis, Minn, Iowa, Mo.

The roads of the Midwest during the mid-1920s.

This is the 1926 ‘Silver Anniversary’ edition of Volume 3 of the Automobile Bluebook, covering the Midwestern United States, north of Kentucky and between the Mississippi River and Ohio. While the National Numbered Highway System was introduced that year, it has not yet been incorporated into the guide. Hundreds of pages present various advertisements, turn-by-turn directions for primary routes, simple road maps of urban centers, and descriptions of local attractions. Includes the large, double-sided folding map in a protective pouch.

The Automobile Blue Book, published in Chicago from 1901 to 1937, served as a crucial guide for early American motorists. Often lacking numbered highways (introduced in Wisconsin in 1918), these extensive volumes provided detailed, point-to-point directions across the United States and Canada. Geared towards scenic routes rather than the fastest paths, the Blue Book also offered trip-planning advice and state road regulations. By the 1910s, it had become the “standard publication” for road travel, aiding the burgeoning American love affair with the automobile and motor tourism.