You may find a Standalone Address Book might suit your needs; cf.
http://www.insideoe.com/files/wab.htm#wabexe
1. Create the Standalone Address Book.
2. Give others a copy of it.
3. If and when you need to update the Standalone, create a new one instead,
give others a copy of it, then Delete the old ones.
NB: Once you begin composing a New Message using the Standalone, you will
not be able to do anything else with OE until you've either sent the message
or saved it to Drafts.
--
OE-specific newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002