Green and other books

[Frank Abate]

All

Following up on Barry's posting of the Green Book as the NYC directory, I
want to point out that there are quite a few other regularly issued books
referred to by color.  Most seem to be directories or published standards of
some sort.

Blue Book -- the informal title for the blue-covered state directory of CT,
published annually, listing office holders, the structure of the government,
state facts, etc..  Most if not all US states have these directories, and
some other states also refer to them by the color of their cover.

In CD-ROM technology, there are published industry standards for various
types of discs, such as CD audio, original CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, etc.  The
standards are in books referred to by color, such as the Orange Book.  See
the following (from
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid5_gci503648,00.html):

"Orange Book is the informal name for Philips and Sony's Recordable CD
Standard. Published in 1990, the Orange Book is a follow-up to their Red
Book CD-DA (Compact Disc - Digital Audio) specifications. The Orange Book is
divided into two sections: Part I deals with magneto-optical (MO) drives,
and Part II deals with the first recordable CD format CD-R (Compact Disc -
Recordable). Part III, released separately, describes CD-RW (Compact Disc -
Rewritable). In addition to specifying these CD forms, the Orange Book
includes information about data organization, multisession and hybrid discs,
pre-groove modulation (for motor control during writing), and
recommendations for measuring reflectivity, environment, and light speed."
*********************

The "Orange Book" designation is used for a number of other publications, as
a google search showed.  The following is from the so-called "Orange Book
Site" (http://www.dynamoo.com/orange/):

"First published in 1983, the Department of Defense Trusted Computer System
Evaluation Criteria, (DOD-5200.28-STD) known as the Orange Book is the de
facto standard for computer security today."
**********************

I think this is the tip of the "[Color] Book" iceberg.  This is a case for
the OED.


Frank Abate
Dictionary & Reference Specialists (DRS)
Consulting & Lexicographic Services
(860) 510-0100, ext 2311 (office)
(860) 349-5400 (home)
abatefr at earthlink.net