Share this Article on Facebook Twitter Submit this article to Reddit Give this article a thumbs-up on StumbleUpon

almanac

almanac

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2008 | Copyright

almanac originally, a calendar with notations of astronomical and other data. Almanacs have been known in simple form almost since the invention of writing, for they served to record religious feasts, seasonal changes, and the like. The Roman fasti, originally a list of dies fasti (days when legal business might be transacted) and dies nefasti (days when legal business should not be transacted), were later elaborated into various lists, some of them resembling modern almanacs.

The almanac did not become a really prominent type of reading matter until the introduction of printing in Western Europe in the 15th cent. Regiomontanus produced one of the famous early almanacs (his Ephemerides ), incorporating his astronomical knowledge. Most early almanacs were devoted primarily to astrology and predictions of the future. Prediction of the weather has persisted in many modern almanacs, but the crude and sensational magic began to disappear early, to be replaced by more or less scientific information. Late in the 18th cent. truly scientific almanacs appeared—notably the British Nautical Almanac (founded 1767; see ephemeris ), which was the inspiration for the American Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac (founded 1855).

The popular almanac, however, developed in the 17th and 18th cent. into a full-blown form of folk literature, with notations of anniversaries and interesting facts, home medical advice, statistics of all sorts, jokes, and even fiction and poetry. The first production (except for a broadside) of printing in British North America was an almanac for the year 1639. One of the best colonial almanacs was the Astronomical Diary and Almanack begun by Nathaniel Ames in 1725, and this was the forerunner of the most famous of them all, Benjamin Franklin 's Poor Richard's Almanack (pub. by him 1732-57), which in its title recalled one of the most popular and long-lasting of English almanacs, that of "Poor Robin" (founded c.1662). The most enduring of all American almanacs was first published in 1792 by Robert Bailey Thomas ; it came later to be called The Old Farmer's Almanac[k].

The best types of present-day almanacs are handy and dependable compendiums of large amounts of statistical information. Noteworthy American almanacs include The World Almanac and Book of Facts (first pub. as a booklet in 1868, discontinued 1876, revived 1886), and the Information Please Almanac (first pub. 1947, now the Time Almanac ). There are also useful almanacs devoted to particular topics, such as sports, health care, Native Americans, and specific countries, or designed for specific audiences, such as children.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"almanac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"almanac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-almanac.html

"almanac." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

Almanac

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | | Copyright

Almanac in America followed much the same development as in England, where it began as a calendar with the addition of some astronomical data. The first American work of this nature, An Almanack for New England for the Year 1639, was compiled by William Pierce (or Peirce) and printed by Stephen Daye, and, with the exception of a broadside, was the first work printed in the British colonies. Until the close of the 17th century, this press, associated with Harvard, continued to issue annual almanacs, and together with other presses caused Boston to become a center of almanac‐making. The first humorous almanac was compiled in 1687 by John Tulley, of Saybrook, Conn. Subsequently all American almanacs, like their English counterparts, contained not only calendars but compendiums of popular science, notices of remarkable events and dates, problems, proverbs, jests, and practical information of various kinds, illuminated by illustrations. Among important early almanacs were the Astronomical Diary and Almanack issued from Dedham, Mass., by Nathaniel Ames and his son, 1725–75; The Rhode Island Almanac, issued 1728–58 by James Franklin; Poor Richard's Almanack; and The Farmer's Almanack. The Crockett almanacs were a popular 19th‐century series, noted for their tall tales of frontier heroes. Many religious sects and reform organizations issued almanacs, which have also been used by advertisers of medicines and other products. Several modern almanacs and books of facts are issued annually in large paperback editions.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Almanac." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Almanac." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Almanac.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Almanac." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-Almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

almanac

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | Copyright

al·ma·nac / ˈôlməˌnak; ˈal-/ (also, esp. in titles, al·ma·nack) • n. an annual calendar containing important dates and statistical information such as astronomical data and tide tables. ∎  an annual handbook containing information of general interest or on a sport or pastime.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"almanac." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"almanac." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-almanac.html

"almanac." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

Almanac

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Almanac. Especially in China, an annually published lunar calendar containing weather and harvest prognostications, lucky and unlucky days, festival dates and birthdays of the gods, moral maxims, and, most thumbed, a variety of fortune-telling systems. In the West, almanacs were originally connected with astrology, suggesting a rational order in the cosmos.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Almanac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Almanac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Almanac.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Almanac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

almanac

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | Copyright

almanac A publication, usually issued yearly, listing predicted dates and times of forthcoming celestial phenomena and positions of celestial objects, along with other information of interest to astronomers, navigators, and surveyors. Examples are The Astronomical Almanac and The Nautical Almanac.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"almanac." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"almanac." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-almanac.html

"almanac." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

almanac

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable | 2006 | | Copyright

almanac an annual calendar containing important dates and statistical information such as astronomical data and tide tables. Recorded from late Middle English, the word comes via medieval Latin from Greek, but ultimately is of unknown origin.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "almanac." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "almanac." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-almanac.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "almanac." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

almanac

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | | Copyright

almanac XIV. — medL. almanac(h) (Roger Bacon, 1267). Its origin remains unknown.
Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

T. F. HOAD. "almanac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "almanac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-almanac.html

T. F. HOAD. "almanac." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

almanac

Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes | 2007 | Copyright

almanac •blackjack • applejack • flapjack •steeplejack • cheapjack • skipjack •hijack, skyjack •bootjack • lumberjack • crackerjack •ack-ack • click-clack • eyeblack •kulak • shoeblack • bootblack •yashmak • Tarmac • Cormac •Potomac • sumac •Karnak, Nanak, Pontianak •knick-knack • almanac • Pasternak •backpack • woolpack • mudpack •power pack • Mubarak • backtrack •amtrac, Amtrak •half-track • serac • racetrack •rickrack • gimcrack • tribrach •wisecrack • sidetrack • soundtrack •bladderwrack • sandarac • Skagerrak •Bergerac • Bacharach • bric-à-brac •tamarack • anorak

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"almanac." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"almanac." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-almanac.html

"almanac." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-almanac.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Facts and information from other sites

almanac images
almanac. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)

Related topics

  Be the first to connect related topics with this page!