Victorian Telephone Directory Brings Six Figures at Christie's

Hi!
I am on the Kovel's Komments e-mail list. Their e-mail for today revealed that an 1878 Telephone Directory with less than 400 names from a New England city brought $170,500 at auction last week. That's amazing!

Not just any phone book, but the FIRST phone book and Vol. 1 Number 1 to boot.  Worth a look and a read for such gems included in the book:

"Should you wish to speak to another subscriber... you should...commence the conversation by saying 'Hulloa!' When you are done talking, say 'That is all!', and the person spoken to should say 'O.K.' "

Imagine - One of the FIRST telephone books was from 1878 (a mere 130 years ago) - less than 2 normal lifespans ago. It is mindboggling to think of how much the world changes within a fairly short period of time. Think of where this country (and the world) was 100 years ago - 1908 (there are people alive today that were here 100 years ago - 1 long lifetime ago). Most of what we have, use and take for granted everyday wasn't even invented yet, or in it's infancy (including the computer we are all viewing this on). I can't even begin to imagine where the world will be 100 years from now - no one from 1908 could begin to conceive our present world of 2008 - I'm sure. Progress and invention is like an inverted pyramid - the more you have, the more you have to build on. Computers, microwaves, faxes, etc. couldn't have been invented until electricity came along. What is yet to be invented that will be based on computers, or GPS, or Cell phones ...... to me it's inconceivable & mindboggling when you stop and think about it.  woodwright