Offered in this lot is a unique and rare Baltimore telephone directory from October 16th, 1916 featuring Babe Ruth! Vintage phonebooks are highly sought after collector’s items in the present day due to their cyclical nature and the rapidity with which new books were released and dispersed. This phonebook lists not just Babe Ruth, but also his father’s tavern and business selling lightning rods to safety-minded Baltimoreans. Ruth is listed twice on page 236, once as Babe Ruth and a second time as “George H Ruth”, the café owner. Listed on the opposite side of this page are the “S” listings, which include Ruth’s former stomping grounds of St. Mary’s Industrial School. Ruth’s two businesses, a café and a billiards parlor, are listed with the addresses of 36 South Eutaw and 36-38 South Eutaw. These addresses are a scant two blocks away from the current location of Oriole Park at Camden Yards! The business of the Ruth’s are listed three additional times in this book, under “Lightning Rods”, “Cafes”, and “Restaurants and Taverns”. Another interesting historical tidbit in this phonebook is the listing for John “Jack” Dunn, the man credited with discovering Ruth the baseball player and bestowing upon him the nickname of “Babe”. Later, Dunn organized the sale of Ruth to the Boston Red Sox! This phone book is in fair condition, with a rip on the cover repaired by tape. This is a truly unique piece of baseball history, and a rare artifact from Babe’s life in his hometown of Baltimore.

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