Adress-Buch Deutscher Export-Firmen: Auf Anregung des Königl. Preuss. Handelsministeriums im Auftrage des Centralverbandes deutscher Industrieller und des deutschen Handelstages herausgegeben von W. Annecke, F. Beutner, H. Bueck, H. Rentzsch. IV

The Adress-Buch Deutscher Export-Firmen was established in the late 19th century as a comprehensive directory intended to facilitate international commerce for German manufacturers. Commissioned under the guidance of the Royal Prussian Ministry of Trade and Industry, it served as an essential tool for mapping the burgeoning industrial landscape of the German Empire. By centralizing data from the Central Association of German Industrialists and the German Diet of Commerce, the publication provided foreign buyers and domestic traders with a standardized index of export firms during a period of rapid economic expansion.

The design and editorial direction were overseen by a committee including W. Annecke, F. Beutner, H. Bueck, and H. Rentzsch, who aimed to bring organizational clarity to the increasingly complex global reach of German commerce. These volumes were structured to offer reliability and institutional authority, acting as a crucial reference point for chambers of commerce and diplomatic outposts. Upon release, the series was received as a vital administrative instrument, prized for its rigorous documentation of the industrial entities that fueled Germany's transition into a global trade powerhouse.