And, no, I don't mean the old telephone directories -- although those can be useful, too. I mean the city business directories published by a variety of companies with Polk being the most familiar. And, yes, they are still published today, both in digital and print form. Looks like the current publisher is Data-Axle.
The city directory I'm referring to was was published primarily for the business community to use in marketing and advertising. It included a section of half- and full-page paid ads, a section with businesses alphabetically by name, a section that listed residents alphabetically with address and (eventually) phone number, a classified section that listed businesses by type, and a section arranged by address. This section is the reason that they are sometimes called a "criss-cross" directory (that was also the name of a specific publication).
I suspect you're already seeing the benefits of city directories for historical research -- fiction or non-fiction. If you have the name of a person or business, you can quickly find where that person lived or where that business was located. Frequently, the business listing includes the name of the owner and if you're very lucky, the business took out an ad, which promotes its finer points.
And, if you have an address, you can just as quickly discover who lived there or what business was located there -- or if it was a vacant lot. You can also see what or who was on either side of your address, across the street, down the block ...
The classified section is obviously useful if you want to know the names of specific types of businesses. Not only can you find hotels, restaurants, and stores, you can find the names of lawyers, plumbers, stenographers, seamstresses ... You can add a touch of authenticity to your work.
The ads are also useful -- assuming that there is one for the business you're interested in. They'll give you the name of the business, its slogan, the owner's name, and usually something the business. They are advertisements, after all.
I recently used the 1929 Albuquerque city directory found in the genealogical collection at the main library to find the name of a Mexican restaurant walking distance from the Alvarado hotel. That restaurant no longer exists, but I have the name and the address. In this case, that's really all I wanted. However, for my next book, I needed the name of an auto court located on 4th Street -- which was Route 66 in 1929. I turned to Auto Courts and there was a list of them, located one after the other on 4th street. I picked one, then turned to the address section and discovered that there was an all-night diner located right next door! I'm assuming that "Midnight Lunch" was an all-night diner, anyway.
That auto court also had an ad. I turned to it and found that it gave the owners' names and that they were 1 to 3 room cottages with steam heat, hot and cold running water, private tile bath, and a kitchenette with gas for cooking. I now have plenty of detail for creating an authentic context and my characters who live there can offer guests a cup of coffee or a drink or even a light meal.
I also jotted down the names and addresses of several other cafes in the area where the story is set, just in case. There's Mecca Cafe, "the oldest and most reliable cafe in Albuquerque," proprietor Theodore Paulantis. Is it Middle Eastern? Greek? The Liberty Cafe : Home of Good Eats "where the choicest foods are served." We can guess what type of cuisine they offered. And, of course, the Coney Island Cafe, now known as Lindy's.
I'll be returning to the directories to find the location of the nearest police station to the scene of the murder, maybe find the name of cab companies that my characters will use ... the possibilities are endless!
In my next post, I'll explore other resources at the public library, including ones that can help me find out what cuisine was served at the Mecca Cafe and what movies the KiMo theatre was showing in 1929.
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