As a result, national and provincial directories were gradually phased out. The individual city directories, which were better suited in the arena of advertising, became the dominant vehicle. In this process a great number of local, provincial, and national directory publishers competed for the market. The decision to remove them was the product of attitudes toward advertising based in part on the presumed gender and class of people to whom those ads were believed to appeal. The question of the value and worth of advertising was the subject of considerable debate among advertisers, magazines, and readers.
Librarians can help patrons circumvent the distortions the stripping of ads has left in the record.
You can also obtain sample copies of any Haworth Press titles from the address above.