Can Anyone Escape the Almighty Phone Book?
Posted by Shannon Firth to findingDulcinea Despite concerns that they are a waste of paper, the phone book industry keeps providing them, year after year—and they outnumber the people who use them. According to New York’s Newsday, two phone books are published for every one person in America. The Anchorage Daily News estimates that city residents receive “four books for every man, woman and child.” While magazines and newspapers may struggle with online competition, The Yellow Pages remain a marketing force, earning $17 billion a year. Many who receive the phone book every year whether they want it or not, like Alaska resident Susan McDonald, are frustrated by the extravagant surplus. McDonald said, “It’s not just bothersome it’s a waste.” And Scott McGhee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has measured the weight and thickness of the phone books he received, and then multiplied by 300,000 to make a point. McGhee estimated there are about 1.2 million books in all of Anchorage and t
