The Phone Book is Dead lends itself to the declination of the printed business directory. Since the first printed directory, small and large businesses have seen fit to represent themselves and their company’s, and spend billions of dollars to be the “Biggest” ad or the “First Result” in these listings today.History admits the first printed business directory was born in Pittsburgh, PA. In 1815 James Riddle Esq. offered a printed directory of family heads and proprieters of local business. Another edition of listings was released on, in or around 1823, by a Samual Jones Esq., this listing was similarily arranged. It wasn’t until 1837 Isaac Harris printed Harris’ Pittsburgh Business Directory for 1837, a complete and organized publication including the names of all the merchants, manufacturers, mechanics, professional, men of business of Pittsburgh and its vicinity. Once again the evolution of business directories would fall quite until February 1878, in New Haven Connecticut. Fueled by a recent invention, the telephone, New Haven District Phone Company published what is thought to be the first “Phone Book“. In early 1886 the Chicago Directory Company, with 21-year-old Reuben Hamilton Donnelley in charge, began to publish a phone directory three times a year for the Chicago Telephone Company. That event is generally acknowledged as the birth of the classified telephone directory advertising industry – the Yellow PagesWhile they theory of the Phone Book hasn’t changed much over the past 190 years, the ability to mold and morph the advertising landscape has helped the evolution of the directory parellel technology. However, the printed version plagued by low subscription and an ever growing Internet Search population, may finally fade away as easily as it appeared. Recent record low advertiser renewals and the emergence of more Eco-friendly “Green” advertising methods (like Internet Advertising) continue to contibute to what some call “The Death of The Phonebook”.
