17. It became the Travelers’ Green Book in 1960
The 1960 edition of the travel guide was entitled The Travelers’ Green Book, with the racial description removed, though it carried a motto on the title page which read, “Assured Protection for the Negro Traveler”. More of the listings were in the form of advertisements for the restaurants and accommodations being offered. Some listings carried endorsements from the editors of the book. Additional advertisements for local products appeared in the listings where appropriate, for example a regional dairy touting its milk and other products to travelers around Chickamauga, Georgia. One supermarket ran an ad which showed its owner shaking hands with a broadly smiling Martin Luther King, while Ralph Abernathy stood by.
The guide, while intended for all travelers, still showed its roots in the days of motoring, with little or no references to railroads, their stations, and none regarding flying and airports. There were many references to using road maps while planning a trip, and writing or phoning to make reservations for accommodations well before they were needed, to avoid disappointments. There were numerous ads for automobile maintenance as well. The 1960 guide closed with a brief note, meant to be humorous, describing how to avoid growing old. From first page to last its primary focus was on travelers by automobile, despite the changes to the book’s appearance and title page over the years.