Blue Guides

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Blue Guides

The 9th edition of Blue Guide London (1965)
Parent company	Somerset Books
Founded	1918
Founders	James and Findlay Muirhead
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Headquarters location	London
Distribution	Bertrams (UK) W. W. Norton & Company (US) Penguin Books (India)[1]
Publication types	Books
Nonfiction topics	Travel guides
Official website	www.blueguides.com

The Blue Guides are a series of detailed and authoritative travel guidebooks focused on art, architecture, and (where relevant) archaeology along with the history and context necessary to understand them. A modicum of practical travel information, with recommended restaurants and hotels, is also generally included.

The first Blue Guide – London and its Environs – was published in 1918 by the Scottish brothers James and Findlay Muirhead. The Muirheads had for many years been the English-language editors of the famous German Baedeker series. When they also acquired the rights to John Murray III’s famous travel “handbooks” they established the Blue Guides as heir to the great 19th century guide book tradition.