During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor.

America’s Silver State takes the gold in the WPA Guide to Nevada. Originally published in 1940, the guide features the newly built Hoover Dam (then called the Boulder Dam), the Great Basin, the many caves in the eastern part of the state, the state’s several ghost towns, and an engaging essay of one of Nevada’s more important industries—“Mining and Mining Jargon.”