The Philadelphia Directory. Philadelphia: Printed by James & Johnson, 1791



8vo (7 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.; 195 x 120 mm). Text browning throughout, occational spotting. Later half brown morocco over marbled boards, marbled endpapers, spine lettered gilt, extremities rubbed.

Evans 23205; Howes 8425; Sabin 62602

The third Philadelphia directory and the first for the city since becoming the capital of the nation. Philadelphia's designation in 1790 as the nation's capital spurred rapid growth in population and necessitated a new directory of the city, ably prepared by Biddle. The directory lists approximately 6,000 individuals and their occupations, and for the first time, their numbered street addresses, the numbering having been accomplished during the first Federal census. Washington's cabinet  is listed (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Alexander Hamilton) while Washington's address (190 High Street) is given under a separate section entitled "Officers of the Government of the United States." Other prominent Philadelphians are also to be found in the directory: Thomas Affleck, the famous cabinetmaker; Thomas Mifflin, first governor of Pennsylvania and fifth president of the U.S. Congress; the illustrious painter Charles Willson Peale and his equally talented younger brother James; and the esteemed Dr. Benjamin Rush.