Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 June 1911 — Earliest Railway Guides. [ARTICLE]

Earliest Railway Guides.

The first railroad guides were mere children’s books compared with pres-ent-day productions, says the London Globe. The first Bradshaw contained six pages only. The date of the origin of Bradshaw is generally given as 18S9, and about that time there were other guides in existence which were no less interesting, but which eventually died out and passed Into the limbo of forgotten things. One of the earliest was entitled Lacey’s Railway companion and Liverpool and Manchester Guide. It was a very friendly production, describing the scenery through which the railway passed, "and pointing out to the visitor at both places all that Is Interesting and necessary for business and pleasure.” It was published at Liverpool, and was on sale in Lon--ffon as well as in the northern towns at the price of one shilling. Though this old guide does not possess any date, it contains advertisements tor the annuals and almanacs for 1836, which provides a clue as to the time of its origin, and shows it to be probably the first railway guide ever published. As there were only some twelve trains starting dally, they did not occupy much space, and the guide was expanded to 76 pages by a description of the coast and construction of the line.