WWW.ASTRONOMY.COM 55encyclopedias of information. Of all
the astronomical ephemera that might
tempt a collector, these cards are the
hardest to resist.Astronomical
almanacs
In 2009, Sotheby’s auction house sold a
1733 copy of Poor Richard’s Almanack by
Benjamin Franklin for $556,500! This little
publication of a few dozen pages was found
tucked away on a shelf and forgotten for
more than 270 years.
Almanacs have been around for centu-
ries. Old European almanacs listing saints’
days and religious observances are rare and
valuable. In early America, almanacs took
on a different form. The agrarian society of
that time needed particular information for
successful farming, so Franklin and others
began to fill this void with small annual
publications. The Old Farmer’s Almanac
(or ig i na l ly ju st The Farmer’s Almanac),
which has been continually published since
1792, can still be found in grocery stores
across America.
Almanacs contain a great deal of astro-
nomical information. There was usually a
page per month listing Moon phases, rise
and set times of the Sun and the Moon,
tides, the equation of time, and much more.
Facing pages held information about plant-
ing times, seasonal changes, and general
“useful” information.
Monthly weather predictions were also
an important part of these publications.
Unlike almanacs for professional astrono-
mers, these slim volumes were meant to beused and then discarded. Many of them
found their way to the outhouse. As a
result, old almanacs are hard to find.
I have a copy of Leavitt’s Genuine,
Improved New-England Farmer’s
Almanack, and Scholar’s Astronomical
Diary for the year 1822 in my collection.
Like most almanacs, it was printed on
poor-quality paper to keep down the price.
This is another reason for the scarcity
of such publications.
On the cover are illustrations of
eclipses of the Sun and Moon for that
year. Inside is more information about
astronomical events, “Chronological
Cycles,” and important dates. It even con-
tains a small selection of “Pleasant [in
other words, scientific] Experiments.”
This is all followed by a page-per-month
listing of important daily
information.
It is the human connection
that makes these almanacs so
special. Many farmers made
notes throughout them. For
example, the original owner
of my Leavitt Almanac
recorded the first snowfall
on October 28, as well as
other information. This is
the best type of ephemera
because it reaches through
time to touch us here in the future.Brief glimpses
All these items provide a wonderful look
into the history and understanding of
astronomy from the 19th to the mid-20th
century. Astronomical ephemera also
give a fascinating look at how the public
viewed this fast-developing science, and
what information was important and use-
ful to them. Many of these items are not
only beautiful, but also provide incredible
insight into the human response to the
heavens. Whether through benign neglect,
happy accident, or purposeful preserva-
tion, ephemera are a treasure for us all.Raymond Shubinski is a contributing editor
of Astronomy and a longtime collector of
astronomy ephemera — and many other things.