Rand McNally's Commercial Atlas of America, published annually, price $35.00, is the best atlas of its kind on the market for a business office. The maps are indexed, and information on population, express offices, United States money order stations and the railroads of each town and city are given. This atlas has maps of the largest cities. Steamship and interurban lines are also shown.
Another valuable guide is the Official Hotel Red Book and Directory of the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Hawaii, West Indies and South American cities, published annually by the Official Hotel Red Book and Directory Company, New York City, price $6.00. This guide lists hotels under cities with brief notes on accommodations and rates.
Another similar guide is American Travel and Hotel Directory, published annually by Harold W. Phillips, 1133 Broadway, New York City, at $5.00 per volume.
The Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, Porto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, also time tables of railroads in Central America, is published monthly by the National Railway Publication Company, New York City, $14.00 per year. It gives the current time tables in effect and the maps of the various railroads with indexes of their stations, and a general alphabetical index of all railway stations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, showing on what railroads a given place is located, with a similar index for points reached by water routes.
United States Official Post Office Guide, issued annually with eleven monthly supplements at $1.00 per year, gives information about mail rates and post office rulings, and also gives a complete list of the post offices in the United States.
The business library will find it helpful to obtain a single volume published by the Census Bureau entitled Abstract of the Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910, which may be procured from the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., at the cost of $1.00. This abstract gives in condensed form with explanatory text, statistics to be found in the eleven volumes report of the 1910 census covering population, agriculture, manufactures and mining of the United States as a whole, individual states and principal cities. This abstract volume is issued in special editions for each state of the United States, which give special statistics pertaining to that state.
In regard to population figures, it is probably not generally known that the Census Bureau has issued bulletins giving estimates of the population of cities for each year subsequent to 1910, so that population figures for 1910 need not be considered as the latest official figures available. The 1920 census is being compiled as this volume goes to press.
The reference collection of a business library must be strong in books which will serve as directories of persons and industries, in order to answer questions on "who is who" and "where and what" are certain business organizations. The important point for consideration in selecting directories for a business library is that they must be not only accurate but as nearly up-to-date as possible, to be of real value.
Who's Who in America, a biographical dictionary of notable living men and women of the United States, giving brief biographical data and addresses of over twenty thousand Americans prominent in business and public affairs, professional life, or as authors, published biennially by A. N. Marquis and Company, Chicago, $7.50 per volume.
There are also similar brief biographical dictionaries published for certain states and cities which will be well known to the public libraries in those particular localities, and which will not be listed here as they are not of general interest to all localities; for example, The Book of Chicagoans, Who's Who in New England, Directory of Directors in the City of New York.