"Morgan's Official Street Directory of Melbourne and Suburbs, 43rd Edition, is a wonderfully evocative record of Melbourne at the close of the 1950s, compiled and published by Val Morgan & Sons Pty Ltd from its Elizabeth Street premises. Containing 140 quick-reference maps, the directory covers metropolitan Melbourne and its expanding suburbs, with detailed street mapping supplemented by rail and tram routes, numbered tram stops, railway lines, telephone boxes, schools, police stations and public hospitals. The publisher notes that this edition incorporated new maps for Belgrave, Ferny Creek, Tecoma and Upwey, reflecting Melbourne's continuing post-war suburban expansion.
More than simply a street atlas, Morgan's directories were designed as comprehensive working guides to metropolitan life. The extensive index allowed individual streets to be quickly located, while postal districts and public-transport information made the volume particularly useful to motorists, businesses and government departments. Contemporary advertising appears throughout, providing an additional snapshot of Melbourne commerce and everyday life. Of particular interest is the striking rear-cover advertisement for Alan Coffey Motors, promoting Ford Falcon, Cortina, Galaxie and Mustang vehicles through dealerships at the City, South Melbourne, Ringwood, Moorabbin, Dandenong and Frankston.
Published circa 1959, this 43rd Edition is now an appealing piece of Melbourne social, transport and urban history. Its maps preserve a city at a fascinating stage of development, when the metropolitan fringe was rapidly pushing east and south-east while trams, railways and established inner suburbs still formed the backbone of Melbourne. Original street directories such as this are increasingly sought after by collectors, local historians, genealogists and researchers wishing to identify vanished streets, businesses and neighbourhood features, while the period advertisements add considerable nostalgic appeal."
