Bickerstaff's genuine Boston almanack or Federal calendar, for 1793. ..
Edition: Second edition.
Series: Early American imprints -- no. 25017
Publisher: Printed by E. Russell, cheap to travelling-traders and others.
Published: 1792
Place of publication: Boston
Language: eng
Number of pages: 24
Notes: Title vignette, with edition statement printed vertically at its left.

In this edition the contents of p. [3] have been replaced in part, and those of p. [24] entirely, the displaced matter from p. [3] being moved to p. [6] and [8].

The Bickerstaff almanacs published by Russell for the years 1783-1793 are attributed to Benjamin West by Evans, the Dictionary of American biography, and C.L. Nichols, Notes on the almanacs of Massachusetts (1912). The attribution is traditional, because of West's association with the Bickerstaff pseudonym; but most of these issues can be shown to be the probable work of other calculators.

The present almanac is not in the style of West's earlier productions, including those in this series for 1786-88. The phases of the moon are included among the astronomical notes in the third column on the calendar pages, rather than being grouped in a table at the top as was usual in almanacs. The pages of Feb. and May include calculations for the southing of "Yd. L." (Yard and Ell, or the belt of Orion). The Yard, common in almanacs by Mass. calculators, is never found in those of West. The calculator of the present almanac cannot be identified.

Signatures: [A]⁴ B-C⁴ (signature letter B preceded by "Bickerstaff, 1793.").

Evans 25017

Drake, M. Almanacs, 3489