Page:Washington, A Guide to the Evergreen State.djvu/12

Preface WASHINGTON: a Guide to the Evergreen State is the result of the collaboration of many minds. Working as a group, the staff of the Washington Writers' Project gathered, checked, re-checked, and as- sembled a multitude of facts gleaned from many and varied sources. Of inestimable value in the compilation of these data was the assistance received from hundreds of consultants-historians, pioneers, newspaper men, scientists, teachers, business men-who gave generously of their time, and from the many unselfish and friendly persons who assisted the field workers and the tour checkers, as they traveled from town to town along the thousands of miles of highways and byways that were covered. Without exaggeration, this book may be said to represent a community endeavor and a community interest. Each day, as the staff worked, the mass of interesting material grew. so that when the time came for final selection of what could be included in a book, much had to be omitted; so much, in fact, that this volume, comprehensive as it is, may be looked upon simply as an introduction to other volumes still to be written about the State-its people, its history, its resources, its cities and towns, its industries, its culture, its recrea- tional areas and scenic wonderlands. As one of the volumes of the American Guide Series, this book is a integral part of a dynamic and vibrant picture of these United States Basically, it is a guide for the use of tourists, both those from other State: and those within the State's borders. For them, in addition to a fund of practical information, there is a mass of interesting material about the State and its people, information which will add to the pleasure and un- derstanding of all those who travel in Washington. The appeal of the book, however, does not end here-nor does its value. Many are destined to be armchair travelers, and for these the book, with its fragments of history, short biographies, thumbnail pictures of people and places, with its many colorful pictures and carefully drawn maps, will afford hours of recreation, less exciting than actual travel but enjoyable, nevertheless, and