Joyce in exile relied on this residential and commercial directory of Dublin from 1904 to render the intricate urban fabric of Ulysses, which is set that same year. Published annually, Thom’s offers a wide range of information about Dublin, from hackney cab fares to racing calendars and listings of doctors. It contains a detailed street-by-street directory of the city as well as a large folding map. Joyce mined Thom’s for details to include in Ulysses, presenting Dublin with uncanny topographical and historical accuracy. The address 7 Eccles Street, the Blooms’ residence, was listed as vacant in 1904.
Vignette on binding of Thom’s Official Directory of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (Dublin: A. Thom, 1904)
Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University
A. Thom & Co.
Map of the City of Dublin and Its Environs, 1915
Courtesy the General Research Division, The New York Public Library