Buffalo and Erie County Political Blue Book

This is not a pulp magazine cover but rather the binding of an official municipal reference work. The Political Blue Book served as a directory and administrative manual for Buffalo and Erie County government officials, voters, and civic institutions. Published annually, such blue books were standard fixtures in American public and private libraries during the early twentieth century, offering contact information, legislative records, and political history. The deep blue cloth binding with gilt lettering exemplifies the formal presentation expected of official government publications of the era.