Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People (1937)

The item depicted is a hardcover non-fiction book from the American Guide Series titled 'Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People'. The title page clearly states that the book was written and compiled by the Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration for the State of Massachusetts, with Frederic W. Cook, Secretary of the Commonwealth, serving as a cooperating sponsor. The publishing details at the bottom of the page indicate it was published by Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston, printed by The Riverside Press Cambridge, and marked with the year 1937. The physical object features off-white paper stock with black typography and a central publisher's printer mark illustration depicting a figure playing a flute. The owner has provided additional notes claiming a copyright of 1937 and stating the condition is excellent; however, these user-supplied claims remain unverified by physical inspection. The identification rests entirely on the legible text printed directly on the title page visible in the photograph. The style and typography are consistent with mid-20th-century American publishing standards and federal works program outputs. Visible condition appears clean with minimal discoloration on the photographed page, though overall structural integrity cannot be fully assessed from a single open-page view.

Based on the provided image of the title page, this appears to be a copy of Massachusetts: A Guide to Its Places and People, compiled by the Federal Writers' Project of the WPA and published by Houghton Mifflin Company. The owner claims a copyright of 1937 and states the condition is excellent. From a single photograph, I can observe a clean title page, but I cannot assess the book's overall structural integrity, the presence of a dust jacket, or whether the folding map typically included with this edition is intact. The American Guide Series remains popular among collectors of Americana and Depression-era history. Assuming the owner's assessment of excellent condition is accurate and treating the 1937 printing as a working assumption, comparable books of this type typically sell in the $50 to $100 range. This estimate depends heavily on the presence of the original map; copies missing the map or showing significant wear generally sell for much less, often in the $15 to $30 range. To assess the exact printing state, completeness, and provide a formal condition grade, a hands-on physical inspection by a rare book specialist would be required.