Manual for the Use of the Legislature of the State of New York for the Year

The Manual for the Use of the Legislature of the State of New York, often referred to as the 'Legislative Manual' or the 'Red Book,' has been published annually since 1826. It was established by the New York State Legislature to provide a comprehensive reference for lawmakers and citizens regarding the structure of the state government, including rosters of officials, election returns, and detailed descriptions of state institutions. The publication serves as an essential historical record of the administrative evolution within the state, documenting how governmental roles and boundaries have shifted over nearly two centuries.

The design of these volumes historically reflects the formal, bureaucratic aesthetic of the 19th and early 20th centuries, often bound in distinctively colored cloth—most famously red—to signify their official status as authoritative government documents. While the content is primarily compiled by the Office of the Secretary of State, the books are esteemed by historians and archivists for their meticulous preservation of data. The volume identified by ISBN 9781342517227 is a modern scholarly reproduction of these archives, intended to make the administrative data of the period accessible to contemporary researchers and genealogical hobbyists.