No place: The Pullman Company, 1952.
Price: $1,500.00
Softcover. First Edition. Small octavo, [viii],127,[1] + xiv index pp. Printed sheets, triple hole-punched and brad-bound into black leatherette covers, with titles stamped in silver. Previous owner name, position, and district ("S.T. Greene, Porter, MPHS") on preliminary leaf, a single holograph notation on p.52, and a few tiny spots to right edge of textblock, else very near fine.
An attractive copy of this instruction manual and guidebook for the largely African-American staff of the Pullman Company, produced in the company's declining years and in the nascent days of the Civil Rights Movement. While not the first such guide for Pullman Porters and staff, it is the first under this title, updated to reflect the period, and brad-bound for facility of inserting pages with changes, corrections, and new instructions. In his introductory guidance, Vice President of Operations M.B. Osburn notes that the company's aim for issuing the instruction book was to ensure their application by the staff would maintain the popularity of their services rendered. "The reputation of the service depends as much upon the efficiency of employees as upon the facilities provided by the Company for the comfort of its patrons; it is, therefore, imperative that you be obliging and courteous to passengers - alert to anticipate their wants and diligent and cheerful in executing orders" (p.[iii]).
What follows is a meticulous series of rules and regulations covering nearly every facet of service for employees of the luxury railcars, including standards of conduct, acceptable behavior on and off duty, personal cleanliness and appearance, the care of passengers and their berths, and the maintenance of cars, equipment, and supplies. For many years, porters were viewed as pillars of the African-American community who as a result of their training maintained the highest standards of personal and professional decorum. The rigors of the job (as evidenced by the manual) and regular grueling hours are part of the inequities these men faced while working for a company who built a polished, first-class image on their backs. A notable survival, and scarce. *OCLC* notes 10 holdings.
Item #534151
