The First Telephone Book Up For Sale

06/05/2008 - For a mere $30,000 - $40,000, you could own a piece of Yellow Pages history.  “The Telephone Directory - [Volume 1, Number 1]” believed to be the first telephone book ever printed will be up for auction at Christie’s, the venerable auction house, on June 17th.  The directory was printed by O.A. Dorman for the Connecticut District Telephone Co. in November, 1878.

I’m sure all of you know the basic history behind this industry.  Following the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell on March 10, 1876, it wasn’t long before it became a primary commerce facilitator.   On February 12, 1877, less than a year after its invention and issuance of Bell's telephone patent, the first newspaper report was transmitted using the telephone.  New Haven became the epicenter of the first commercially available phone service in operation by January, 1878.  In July, 1878, as the telephone became more commercially viable, and the Bell Telephone Company was formed, which as the first phone organization, retained the patents for issuance of all telephones.  Not surprisingly, the immense advantages of the telephone system made it an instant hit with the public, and BTC quickly had over four hundred subscribers connected via nearly fifty miles of wire to the different sections of the city as well as Fair Haven, West Haven and Westville.

To keep everyone informed, an initial telephone list, consisting of a single sheet containing about 50 names, was issued in New Haven in February 1878.  As the list of telephone subscribers grew, this first directory was published in November, 1878.  Included in this first directory are:

Pages 1-8: Title, directions for use of battery bell, push button, and magneto call bell phones, and guidelines for ......