Accessibility of patent information, original advertising, and other types of documentation has increased the collective knowledge-base for dating & identifying lighters exponentially in recent years. Many books contain varying amounts of incorrect date and/or production information, especially those published before 2010. This is particularly true of general lighter collecting books and guides, less so for books focused on a specific, well-researched topic. Lots of 'unknown lighters' shown in older books can now be identified. Dating accuracy can be hit-or-miss in early books, particularly for more esoteric lighters. Even though all of these books contain pages of beautiful photos and/or useful information, it is important for collectors to understand their context. Older books often contain some mistakes and/or out-of-date information that may "disagree" with info and dates documented on this website. (EB)