Los Angeles: April 13, 1882. First edition. Single sheet folded: 3, [1, blank] printed on stiff cardstock. Binder holes punched at head and foot of spine; encased in an early plastic sleeve with metal brad at bottom hole, with offsetting along spine where holes were not punched. The first telephone directory for Los Angeles, listing 90 subscribers and instructions on making calls to the central office. A scarce piece of Californiana with only two appearances in the modern auction record, the most recent over a decade ago.

The telephone was invented on March 10, 1876. On April 3, 1882, the city passed an ordinance granting the Los Angeles Telephone Company the right to erect poles and lines within city limits. The first telephone office was located at the old River Rail Station, with phones being installed in Los Angeles that same year. The present directory, the first of its kind in LA, records 90 subscribers with their own phones and numbers. A delicate and scarce piece of California and Los Angeles history, tracking the expansion of critical technology through a state that would become an innovation leader.

Newmark (Third Editions), 531. (Item #3509)