The Negro Motorist Green Book Compendium -- Victor H. Green

<p>You've heard the tales, you've watched the movie, but have you seen <em>The Green Book</em>?</p><p>During the dangerous days of Jim Crow segregation, it was difficult to be an African-American traveler, as hotels that would take you or restaurants that would serve you were few and far between. This was addressed by The Negro Motorist Green Book, an annual listing of lodging, diners, gas stations, and other businesses that could handle the needs of the Black customer. Created in 1936 by Harlem-based postman Victor H. Green, the Green Book served the public until after the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s ended legal segregation.</p><p>Original copies of the <em>Green Book</em> are now museum pieces, but in this book you can see all the articles, all the ads, and all the listings from four editions of the <em>Green Book</em>, one for each decade in which the series was published. <em>The Negro Motorist Green Book</em> of 1938 is an early example, covering only the states east of the Mississippi River, but also presenting articles on "The Automobile and What It Has Done for the American Negro" as well as driving tips. By 1947, the <em>Negro Motorist Green Book</em> had listings for 45 of the 48 states that then existed (there was nothing for Nevada, New Hampshire, or North Dakota), and that also included directories of the Negro colleges and newspapers of the day, as well as a look at the current models from Ford and GM, and some notes on automotive design of the