The Guide BP - Paris et ses Environs of 1926

The Guide "BP" to Paris and its environs was published in May 1926 by Les Editions de France, a Paris publisher. Sold for 25 Francs, the volume ran to over 400 pages and included 9 double page spreads of colour maps (see below for one of the 4 at 1:100,000 covering the SE suburbs of the city). Four more maps covered the environs at 1:500,000 and there was an overview map, marking the 12 itineraries described in detail. The book had an initial chapter about Paris itself, then one on the main exits to the city, followed by one for each of the routes.

Colour frontispiece from the BP guide showing an Energic pump and Energol 2 litre oil can.

One of the colour maps, showing SE suburbs of Paris.

As well as the colour maps, there were many black and white town plans ranging from the small example shown below to ones covering a double page spread. There were also six double pages of cross-sections of the touring itineraries showing gradients, and several black and white maps of special areas such as the Forest of Fontainebleu and the area around the Linas-Montlhéry autodrome. The town plans and gradient maps showed where BP pumps could be found with a long black outline of a typical visible pump of the era. Addresses of all BP sales locations (except in Paris itself) were included in a gazetteer at the back of the volume, although a not pasted inside the front cover told users that as the guide had been prepared during 1925, that many more places had been created where BP pumps could be found. All cartography was by H. Tropé.

Town plans of Brie-Comte-Robert & Nangis. Both show one BP pump location towards the NW corner.

Gradient maps of the sixth itinerary.

The text was written by Jean du Taillis, who had written a number of similar guides for Dunlop, the tyre company. Interspersed in the text were a couple of hundred photographs. The one reproduced left shows the war damage to the cathedral at Soissons; the ruins were highlighted as a tourist attraction!

As with many other commercial publications of this era, one of the delights of the volume is the advertising illustrations. Indeed the publishers at the time must have thought so, too, as they gave the illustrator Maurice Denonain equal prominence with the author. Approximate translations of each slogan are given underneath the images.

Stop at these distributors...	You will always receive a warm greeting...	They are open day and night...	Thanks to BP, you no longer fear engine failure, even in winter...
With BP you never know running out...[of petrol]	BP triumphs on race-tracks as well as roads...	Motorists need only use BP Energic petrol...	Energic Petrol for cars/Energol extra superior oil are both made from crude oil from the STE GLE des Huiles de Petrole

The cover of the guide advertises it as Volume I; Volume II covering from the Alps to the Cote d'Azur came out a year later. Plans were announced for more volumes, but it is not known which regions they covered, or even if they existed.