Old Farmer's Almanac

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This article is about the Old Farmer's Almanac. For a similarly titled publication, see Farmer's Almanac.
The Old Farmer's Almanac
Editor in Chief
Editor		 Judson D. Hale Sr.
Janice Stillman
Categories Almanacs
Frequency Annually
Publisher Yankee Publishing, Inc.
First issue 1793
Company Yankee Publishing, Inc.
Country Flag of the United States United States
Canada
Language English
Website www.almanac.com
ISSN 0078-4516

The Old Farmer's Almanac is a reference book that contains weather forecasts, tide tables, planting charts, astronomical data, recipes, and articles on a number of topics including gardening, sports, astronomy, and farming. The book also features anecdotes and a section that predicts trends in fashion, food, home décor, technology, and living for the coming year.

Released the second Tuesday in September of the year prior to the year printed on its cover, The Old Farmer's Almanac has been published continuously since 1792, making it the oldest continuously published periodical in North America.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early history (1792-1850)

Cover of the 1793 edition.
Cover of the 1793 edition.

The first Old Farmer's Almanac (then known as The Farmer's Almanac) was edited by Robert B. Thomas, the publication's founder.[2]

There were many competing almanacs in the 18th century, but Thomas's upstart was a success.[2] In its second year, distribution tripled to 9,000.[1] The cost of the book was six pence (about nine cents).[3]

To calculate the Almanac's weather predictions, Thomas studied solar activity,[4] astronomy cycles and weather patterns and used his research to develop a secret forecasting formula, which is still in use today.[3] Other than the Almanac's prognosticators, few people have seen the formula. It is kept in a black tin box at the Almanac offices in Dublin, New Hampshire.[1]

Thomas served as editor until his death on May 19, 1846. As its editor for more than 50 years, Thomas established The Old Farmer's Almanac as America's "most enduring" almanac by outlasting the competition.[5]

[edit] Becoming "Old"

In 1832, having survived longer than similarly named competitors, Thomas inserted the word "Old" in the title of his Farmer's Almanac,[1] but dropped it from the book's title in the 1836 edition. After Thomas's death, John Henry Jenks was appointed editor and, in 1848, the book's name was permanently and officially revised to The Old Farmer's Almanac.

[edit] 19th and 20th Centuries

Cover of the 1851 edition.
Cover of the 1851 edition.

In 1851, Jenks made another change to the Almanac when he featured a "four seasons" drawing on the cover by Boston artist Hammatt Billings, engraved by Henry Nichols. Jenks dropped the new cover for three years, and then reinstated it permanently in 1855. This trademarked design is still in use today.

In 1861, Charles Louis Flint became editor and provided his readers with a heavier emphasis on farming. The next two editors, John Boies Tileston and Loomis Joseph Campbell, served short terms and made no format changes.[6]

Robert Ware took over as the book's sixth editor in 1877 and served for 13 years before his brother, Horace, was named to the position in 1900. During Horace Everett Ware's 19 years as editor, he began to orient the book toward a more general audience by replacing the scientific agricultural articles with general features on nature and modern life.[6]

The eighth and ninth editors, Frank B. Newton and Col. Carroll J. Swan, kept the Almanac tradition alive through wartime and the Depression.[6]

Roger Scaife was appointed editor in 1936.[1] His term coincided with the only time in the history of the Almanac that its distribution declined and the book's financial stability fell into question. The 1938 edition had a circulation of less than 89,000, compared with 225,000 in 1863.[6]

During his tenure, Scaife also committed the greatest of all blunders in Almanac history: In the 1938 edition, he dropped the weather forecasts.[1] In their place, he substituted temperature and precipitation averages.[7] The public outcry was so great that he reinstated the forecasts in the next year's edition,[1] but the decision had already destroyed his reputation.[6]

[edit] A new beginning

In 1939, Robert Sagendorph, founder and president of Yankee, Inc. (later known as Yankee Publishing, Inc.), acquired the publishing rights to The Old Farmer's Almanac and became its editor.[7] Sagendorph had moved his family to Dublin, New Hampshire in 1930, and started the magazine Yankee in 1935.[8] Feeling that tradition was the Almanac's strongest suit, Sagendorph immediately reestablished its format and editorial style to reflect the interests of the general populace much as it had a century earlier.[7] He was fond of quoting Robert B. Thomas, who wrote in 1829 that the Almanac "strives to be useful, but with a pleasant degree of humor."[9] Under Sagendorph's leadership, The Old Farmer's Almanac thrived and readership grew each year.[7]

[edit] A halt in publication (almost)

During World War II, a German spy was apprehended in New York with a copy of the 1942 Almanac in his pocket.[1]

From 1943 through 1945, to comply with the U.S. Office of Censorship's voluntary Code of Wartime Practices for press and radio, the Almanac featured weather indications rather than forecasts.[10][11][12] This allowed the Almanac to maintain its perfect record of continuous publication.

[edit] Recent history

Sagendorph served as the Almanac's editor until his death in 1970. His nephew, Judson D. Hale, Sr., took over and kept the Almanac true to the vision of his uncle. In 2000, the editorial reins were passed to Janice Stillman, the first woman in the Almanac's history to hold the position. Hale still acts as the publication's editor-in-chief. In 1992, the Almanac's distribution passed the four million mark.[1] It is still headquartered in Dublin, New Hampshire.

[edit] Editions

The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes four editions per year. The only difference between the three U.S. editions is the city by which astronomical information is calculated and how tide times are presented. The National edition is fitted for Boston and the New England states;[13] the Southern edition is fitted for Atlanta and the southern states;[14] and the Western edition is fitted for San Francisco and the western states.[15] Each edition contains calculations to answer for all the United States.[13][14][15]

In 1982, The Old Farmer's Almanac began publishing an annual Canadian edition.[16] This edition is fitted for Ottawa, with calculations to answer for all the Canadian provinces,[17] and features provincial weather forecasts as well as stories that speak specifically to the history, traditions, and culture of the country.

[edit] Weather predictions

While The Old Farmer's Almanac has always looked to Thomas's original formula to help with predictions, its forecasting methods have been refined over the years. Today, they also employ state-of-the-art technology and the use of three scientific disciplines: solar science, the study of sunspots and other solar activity; climatology, the study of prevailing weather patterns; and meteorology, the study of the atmosphere. Weather trends and events are predicted by comparing solar patterns and historical weather conditions with current solar activity.[4]

Forecasts emphasize temperature and precipitation deviations from averages. These are based on 30-year statistical averages prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and updated every ten years. The most recent climatological normals tabulation spans the period 1971 through 2000.[18]

Forecasts are prepared as much as 18 months in advance[4] and presented in each edition by region. There are 16 regions for the U.S.[19] and five for Canada[20] in their respective country editions. Four additional regions are available on the Almanac's Web site, Almanac.com. These include Hawaii and Alaska for the U.S. and the Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories for Canada.[21]

In its bicentennial edition, the Almanac stated, "neither we nor anyone else has as yet gained sufficient insight into the mysteries of the universe to predict weather with anything resembling total accuracy."[1] The Almanac claims that its long-range weather forecasts are 80% accurate.[22] One disputing analysis concluded that these forecasts are at most 2% more accurate than random guesses.[23]

[edit] Related publications and entities

Under The Old Farmer's Almanac brand, Yankee Publishing also produces The All-Seasons Garden Guide, an annual gardening resource,[24] and The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids, an Almanac-inspired book designed for children ages 8 and up.[25] The latter is published every other year.

In addition to annual and biannual books, the Almanac has inspired a line of themed calendars including Gardening, Weather Watcher's, and Country (all for wall display); Every Day (with advice, folklore, and quotes in a page-a-day format); and a spiral-bound Engagement calendar.

Over the years, the Almanac has published several cookbooks, food-related magazines, and a guide for homeowners.

The Old Farmer's Almanac has also inspired a chain of retail locations called The Old Farmer's Almanac General Store. In early 2007, store locations included Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut; the Louisiana Boardwalk shopping center in Bossier City, Louisiana; and the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[26]

[edit] Online presence

In 1996, The Old Farmer's Almanac launched Almanac.com.[27] This online presence features the same kind of information found in the print edition, including weather forecasts, astronomy, folklore, recipes, gardening advice, history, and trivia.

In 2003, The Old Farmer's Almanac distributed a 32-page Almanac Just For Kids.[28] The positive response[28] led to the release of The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids in 2005, and the Almanac launched Almanac4kids.com.[29] This site is dedicated to content for younger readers, their parents, and teachers, featuring interactive activities and exclusive articles that further explore topics found in the book.[28]

[edit] Trivia

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.
  • There is a hole in the upper-left-hand corner of the almanac. The intended function of this hole is to allow the reader to hang the almanac on a nail in an outhouse.[citation needed]
  • Only 13 people have held the title of editor of The Old Farmer's Almanac since it was first published in 1792.[30]
  • In 1858, Abraham Lincoln may have used a copy of The Old Farmer's Almanac to argue the innocence of his client, William ("Duff") Armstrong, who was on trial for murder in Beardstown, Illinois.[31] Lincoln used an almanac to refute the testimony of Charles Allen, an eyewitness who claimed he had seen the crime by the light of the moon[32] on August 29, 1857. The book stated that not only was the Moon in the first quarter, but it was riding "low" on the horizon, about to set. Because the actual almanac used in the trial was not retained for posterity, however, there exists some controversy as to whether the almanac used was, in fact, "The Old Farmer's Almanac." In 2007, a competing almanac, the Farmers' Almanac, based in Lewiston, Maine, ran an article claiming that the almanac in question may have been theirs.[33] Because both farmers' almanacs, and many others, were in general circulation at the time of the trial, there is no way to verify which book, if either, was the almanac used by Lincoln.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Park, Edwards (November 1992), Weathering every season with one canny compendium magazine=The Smithsonian Magazine, pp. p. 91 
  2. ^ a b "Thomas, Robert Bailey". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. (January 2004). Columbia University Press. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. 
  3. ^ a b Lamb, David. "Almanac begins third century of know-and-tell", Los Angeles Times, 1993-02-01, pp. 5. 
  4. ^ a b c Pierce, John (2000-09-20). Strange Weather and What it Means (SMIL (RealAudio)). 'Talk of the Nation'. National Public Radio. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  5. ^ "almanac". The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. (January 2004). Columbia University Press. Retrieved on 2007-02-24. 
  6. ^ a b c d e Almanac.com (2007-02-22). History of The Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
  7. ^ a b c d Sagendorph, Robb (January 1965), “My Life with the Old Farmer's Almanac”, The American Legion Magazine: 24-26, 50-52 
  8. ^ New Hampshire Secretary of State - Corporation Division (1935-08-05). Corporation Filings. Retrieved on 2007-02-25.
  9. ^ Thomas, Robert B. (1829). "To Patrons". The Old Farmer's Almanac (XXXVII): 1. Richardson and Lord. 
  10. ^ "To Patrons and Correspondents" (1943). The Old Farmer's Almanac (151): 2. 
  11. ^ "To Patrons and Correspondents" (1944). The Old Farmer's Almanac (152): 2. 
  12. ^ "To Patrons and Correspondents" (1945). The Old Farmer's Almanac (153): 2. 
  13. ^ a b "Title Page" (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - National Edition (215): 1. 
  14. ^ a b "Title Page" (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - Southern Edition (215): 1. 
  15. ^ a b "Title Page" (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - Western Edition (215): 1. 
  16. ^ Almanac.com (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - Writer's Guidelines. Retrieved on 2007-02-26.
  17. ^ "Title Page" (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - Canadian Edition (215): 1. 
  18. ^ National Climactic Data Center, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce (2007). U.S. Normals. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  19. ^ "Table of Contents" (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - National Edition (215): 2. 
  20. ^ "Table of Contents" (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - Canadian Edition (215): 2. 
  21. ^ Almanac.com (2007). 7-Day Weather Forecast Locations in USA and Canada. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  22. ^ The Weather Notebook (2003). The Almanac Defends. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  23. ^ MacNeil/Lehrer Productions (1996-02-02). Online NewsHour: Online Forum with Weatherman Ed O'Lenic. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
  24. ^ Almanac.com (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac All-Seasons Garden Guide. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  25. ^ Almanac.com (2005). Web Store Item Detail Page. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  26. ^ Almanac.com (2007). Old Farmer's Almanac General Stores. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
  27. ^ The Internet Archive (1996-12-19). 1996 version of Almanac.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
  28. ^ a b c Almanac4Kids.com (2007). Old Farmer's Almanac For Kids - About Us. Retrieved on 2007-02-24.
  29. ^ The Internet Archive (2005-11-19). 2005 version of Almanac4Kids.com. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
  30. ^ Almanac.com (2007). The Old Farmer's Almanac - Our Editors. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
  31. ^ Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (2007). The Papers of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
  32. ^ University of Illinois Library (2007). Lincoln Room - Lincoln Collections. Retrieved on 2007-03-24.
  33. ^ Rao, Joe (2007). "A 100% Guarantee and How We 'May' Have Helped a Former U.S. President,". Farmer's Almanac (190): 142–144. 

[edit] External links

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