Smyrna times., 1902-08-20
STRANGE VARIETIES IN
THE MAKING OF ALMANACS
AN INTERESTING AND CURIOUS COLLEC'
TON IN CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY.
Noted Men Who are Credited With Being the
First Almanac Makers-YearIy Records
Since the Sixteenth Century.

almanacs. These publications, when 8
as advertising mediums are left at the ]
door. often to be at once thrown care
Iesslv into the wastebasket, have a
striking and venerable history.
It is still contended by many author
ities that the almanac of 1857 was the
first specimen of printing, and 1t mas
been variously credited to Gutenberg
| Schaeffer and Ptister of Bamberg. Dr.
| Faustus. celebrated in legend, whose
strange story has been immortalized
bv Marlowe and Goethe, was the ac-
credited author of almanacs containing
| ASTROLOGICAL signs (retained at the pres
ent day. and necrOmantic secrets.
''Poor Richards Almanac" the pro
duction of Benjamin Franklin, is well
known as a treasury of homely wit
and wisdom. One of the greatest OF
modern German authors, Auerbach,
first won his way to popular esteem
by using the almanac as vehicle tor
his talents.
Reviomontanus, a famous German |
mathematician, under the patronage OF
Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary
Dublished a series of almanacs from
| l4IO TO lOUO, anu gcdAlg
came an established custom in the SIX
teenth century. Henry Ill. of France
in 1879 enacted that the almanac
should not be made the instrument or
o partisan politics by the Introduction OF
prophecies against parties and lndl-
viduals in the state.
The first almanac in the modern
shape appeared in England in 1913. IL
= was complied by Maurice Wheeler
f canon of Christchurch. Oxford. ana
f was printed in that city. The sale was
so great that the booksellers of London
bought the copyright in order TO mo-
nopolize its subsequent sales Inc
/ "Almanac Royal of Paris, 1897, con-
d tanned notices of pastimes, court recep-
d ton days. fairs and markets, to which
:. were added soon afterward the gen
p, ealogy of the reigning house, etc.
80 In England James l. granted mo-
nopoly of the trade to the universities
. and the Stationers' company, subject
to the censorship of the archbishop OF
Canterbury and the bishop of London.
of The universities accepted an annuity
a from their colleagues, and resigned the
active exercise of their privilege into
the hands of the StatiOners. Under
y their supervision were conducted the
IL popular almanacs known as Moore S
he and "Partridges." the latter of which
en- was humorously attacked by swift
of 'Poor Robins Almanac" published
from 1862 to 1928. may have Furnished
n model. at least in title. for Franklin'
10 Poor Richard"
and
es' travagances of astrOlOgy found room
'rh In these almanacs, the Stationers, Tx
elr a genuine corporation or trust
a the time, having no personality o
S. | their own, and exhibiting no specia
se- bias except for what would SELL
was particularly proved in 1924, whe
they issued a set of predictions in on
almanac and bitterly cOntradicte
hat them in another.
on The famous "Moore's Almanac" pu
the ported to be edited by Francis Moor
vov physician. The original Francis Moo
~. died in 1724. but the publication WI
still isued as If under his supervisio
and in 1775 a vigorous rival arose
10 another almanac claiming to be Il
the genuine Francis Moore. A great La
N~NAN
against the monopoly of the Static
,or+ ers' company. A bill to renew a
legalize the privilege was brought
POI the house of commons by Lord Nor
lOr in 1779, but Lord Erskine, the gre
the barrister, most brilliantly exposed
term absurdity and even indecency of
aims publication, and the bill was defeat
m is Although the privilege was thus
vard stroyed, the Stationers purchased tn
- rival and continued to hold the d
with but slightly improved style
'oH'0 publication until 1923. when the 81
ETY. For the Diffusion of Useful Kno
edge published the British Alman
ralia and demolished their predecess'
$50 with the able assistance of the di
dis press, which so vigorously assailed
( his statiohers puDhca.lor 'na' Ia. .r'. :
new example in the "Englishman's
manac."
Tn ali The uniform price for an English
IS, is manac for many years was a pei
2 the but the monopoly increased the pl
ricul- and the imposition of the stamp Il
les after Queen Anne's time raised 1t
more. In 1871 ''Moore's Almanac"
ninepence. two being for the sta
Mr.. In 1896 it rose to Is. 4d. and in 1S1
er In 2s. Sd.
Cuba An almanac was established
Mater Isaiah Thomas in Worcester, NJ
4 OF which gained and established an
served traorulnary repule ~ .'oo 'toin lii
at nappy "e.i1tn' ts , sn~s' os,,ed l,yhat n
It was he e' nlooed against the 18th of
'ssible Mr. Thomas. In careless haste,
papers swered: "Anythingl Anything"
might lad, literally obedient set up y
on. hail and snow" Inc alhgens re-
were surprised, but when the day
-, - -..t.. -,-,- f,,IaIiod n r