JEFFERSON CITY | Less than a week before the 2009-2010 Missouri Manual will be unveiled, the Secretary of State's office is making previous "Blue Books" available online.
A collection of Blue Books -- which contain data on elected officials, state departments, election results and employee salaries -- from 1889 to 1972 can now be accessed through the Missouri Digital Heritage Initiative .
Check them out here. Newer, digital-era, editions are available here .
The first Blue Book was published in 1878. They are compiled every two years and, taken together, provide detailed statistical, historical, and political data covering most of the state's history.
The Star, for the record, boasts hardcover Blue Books going back to 1913, albeit with seven missing volumes.
