The "mug-book" biographical works sprang up in significant quantity in the 1870's and 1880's and continued through the first few decades of the 20th century. Subscribers paid a fixed sum (around 25 dollars) to buy the book and also paid for the privilege of inclusion in it. Most popular in primarily rural areas with many small towns and cities, these mug-books predominantly covered farmers and small businessmen, with lawyers and doctors also well represented. Most subjects were males, with only an occasional spinster or widow. The biographical information, often including ancestry, is valuable to genealogists, historians, and demographers. One difficulty in using the material is the lack of an adequate bibliography of national scope. Another problem is in locating an individual biography without knowing whether a subject might be included in his native State or any one of other States to which he migrated. Compilation of a bibliography would be feasible if there were financial support to carry through the project. Undocumented.