“…The luminaries of phone-book collecting [include] Gwillim Law, a computational linguist in [Chapel Hill,] North Carolina, who at one point possessed more than 3,500 outdated volumes. (He has since started selling them off.)
“Law was inspired to begin his collection by an interest in cover art…. He continued collecting because ‘I just enjoyed the possibilities for looking things up…..At one point, I did a study of what fast-food chains there were in Connecticut by looking at all of the Yellow Pages.’ ”
– From a Talk of the Town item in The New Yorker, September 13, 2010
Phone-book collecting actually ranks among the more conventional of Gwillim Law’s many pursuits. He is, for instance, the father of statoids — that is, “major administrative divisions of countries.”
This entry from Law’s “Infrequently Asked Questions” page suggests his preoccupation with the concept:
Q. Are there any statoids whose names are palindromes?
A. Yes, there are eight…. Hajjah, Yemen; Karak, Jordan; Matam, Senegal (the latest addition); Nan, Thailand; Neuquén, Argentina; Oio, Guinea-Bissau; Oruro, Bolivia; and Oyo, Nigeria.
Trying to reach Mr. Law – regarding some original artwork that I believe was on the cover of phone books – either southeast or alabama – my father had a framed piece in his office (he had something to do with at&t, bellsouth, south central bell as his job) I know he knew the donnely people as they once flew quail to our house for a party. Anyway – i’ve searched out my limit and looking for your help if available. I have photo of artwork and would love to share with you and see if you have any input or suggestion. I’m currently having this reframed for my mothers 83rd birthday and would like to offer her some history. Artist name on it is Mallory.
Thank you – if you reply direct to my email I will know where to send image.
any help appreciated!
Henry