The Book of the UndeadWhy won't phone books die?

Notes from the Fray Editor

Most posters wanted to tell us why they still liked their phone books--and to encourage us to recycle them--but Exterminatus darted among the posts, arguing: "I just want a way to opt out because I hate these books, I'm gonna start delivering all mine to whomever sent em."

Comments from the Fray

As someone who has moved every few years for most of my adult life, I always look forward to getting a local phone book. The main reason is that despite all the information available on the internet, when I need to get my utilities connected, find a decent Chinese takeout place in my neighborhood or a veterinarian for my dogs the phone book has better, more complete information.

--fatibel

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Phone books can be used as ballast to help balance a top heavy bookshelf by storing several old phone books on the bottom shelves where one does not normally keep their most used books. Or in the bottom shelf of a new file cabinet to keep it steady until it is full.

On a more useful note, one almost always gets an immediate human response from a retailer or any other entity that has advertised a number to call in the yellow pages…How many times has the yellow pages gone blank because of a power outage? Has a phonebook ever crashed or been hacked?

--NickD

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You move into a new house or apartment. You haven't unpacked the computer. The phone or cable company hasn't set up the broadband. The utilities haven't come by to turn everything on. But if you have a local phone book--which is often provided by the landlord or realtor when you move in--you can get cracking on furnishing the place and making it livable. Maybe that isn't enough to save the phone book, but it's a mighty good reason why we still need them.

--Dilan Esper

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I love my phone books and do not like using the web, especially for business listings. When I use the Yellow Pages, I get an overall picture of my local community, and can easily identify municipal resources. Businesses that commit revenue to Yellow Page advertising are demonstrating a relationship they have or would like to have with their local clients. It is a beginning tool for checking out the quality of a business or tradesman, as often the ads give you additional information such as if they are family owned, how long they have been in business, and their specialty.

--Jean Alexander

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(3/24)

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