Editing Telephone directory (section)

{{short description|Book that lists phone numbers of people and businesses}}
{{Redirect-multi|3|Telephone book|Phone book|White pages|the film|The Telephone Book|a contact list|Contact list|other uses|White pages (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
[[File:Telefonbog ubt-1.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|A "white pages" telephone directory]]

A '''telephone directory''', commonly called a '''telephone book''', '''telephone address book''', '''phonebook''', or the '''white and yellow pages''', is a listing of telephone [[subscriber]]s in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization that publishes the directory. Its purpose is to allow the telephone number of a subscriber identified by name and address to be found.

The advent of the Internet, [[search engine]]s, and [[smartphones]] in the 21st century greatly reduced the need for a paper phone book.<ref name=PhoneDir.fuel/><ref>By 1992 one phone company, which had collected 58,000 tons of old phone books, recycled them by converting them to fuel for some of their trucks.</ref> Some communities, such as [[Seattle]] and [[San Francisco]], sought to ban their unsolicited distribution as wasteful, unwanted and harmful to the environment.<ref name=SF>[http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Yellow-Pages-ruling-endangers-SF-ban-3951477.php Yellow Pages ruling endangers SF ban], Heather Knight, ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', 15 October 2012; retrieved 19 March 2013</ref><ref>[http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019441687_yellowpages16m.html Appeals court rules against Seattle's curbs on yellow pages], Emily Heffter, ''[[Seattle Times]]'', 15 October 2012; retrieved 19 March 2013</ref>

The slogan "Let Your Fingers Do the Walking" refers to use of phone books.<ref name=PhoneDir.fuel>{{cite news|work=[[New York Post]]|date=15 June 1992  |page=9|title=Phone books used as truck fuel in Fla.}}</ref>

[[File:Always Be Sure of the Number - Wisconsin Telephone Company ad, 1916.png|thumb|"Always Be Sure of the Number" - 1916 advertisement]]