Cover page of the catalog of Keuffel & Esser Co., New York, 35th edition

Keuffel & Esser published their first catalog, a twenty-four-page booklet, in 1868. Five years later, their catalog was 123 pages long and included both surveying and drafting equipment. By the 1910s, their catalog was more than 500 pages long and listed more than 5,000 items. From 1887 onward, Keuffel and Esser copyrighted the product descriptions and illustrations included in their catalogs.