DC By the Book Tours is a new way for visitors and residents of Washington, D.C. to explore the richness of non-Federal civic life in Washington and its character as a city, as brought to life by fiction.
The app provides users with the ability to walk, bike or drive through Washington, D.C. along a route of sites that have been depicted in fiction. Each tour is accompanied by a map for easy navigation. Some stops along each tour also include photographs or audio to enhance the user’s experience.
The tours highlight passages from the largely undiscovered rich body of literature set in D.C. that illuminate its social and geographic history.
DC By the Book is a collaborative effort between librarians, experts in local fiction, local history organizations, and anyone who comes to the site. The project is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Studies’ Library Services and Technology Act grant program. The project is based in DC Public Library’s Washingtoniana Special Collection and curated by its staff. The DC By the Book website and app were designed and built by Beekeeper Group.
The DC By the Book project team is Tony Ross and Kim Zablud (Co-Directors); Beekeeper Group (Technology Partner); Cultural Tourism DC, Historical Society of Washington DC, Humanities Council of Washington DC, George Washington University Special Collections (Local History Partners); and anyone and everyone who submits content and helps map books at dcbythebook.org.