One of the first commercial multipage United States telephone directories, Vol. 1, No. 1 for New Haven, Conn., was printed in 1878, just two years after the phone was invented. It listed 391 subscribers. Estimated at $30,000 to $40,000, it sold last week at Christie's for $170,500. The phone book included instructions on how to use the phone: "Never take the telephone off the hook unless you wish to use it. Commence the conversation by saying 'Hulloa.' When you are done talking, say 'That is all!'"
Our phones have changed since then, but the old-fashioned, heavy 1950s phones with cords are back in style. Repros are being made that use new technology, but the old ones use much less electricity than new cordless phones. Save energy and recycle--find an old phone.
