The Hole

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Last March 18, 2008.


Probably the best known of all almanacs.  The "Old Farmer's Almanac", North America's oldest, has been continuously published since 1792.  The current publisher, Yankee Publishing, is in Dublin, New Hampshire and continues to produce a product that strays very little from that which founder, Robert B. Thomas began over two centuries ago.

The Old Farmer's Almanac

Year Issue Condition Notes
1792 N/A   The company was founded by Robert B. Thomas.  (George Washington was president and the cornerstone of the White House was laid)
1793 1   First edition.  Circulation was 3,000 copies.
1794 2   Circulation trippled to 9,000 copies.
1795 3    
1796 4    
1797 5    
1798 6    
1799 7    
1800 8    
1801 9    
1802 10    
1803 11    
1804 12    
1805 13    
1806 14    
1807 15    
1808 16    
1809 17    
1810 18    
1811 19    
1812 20    
1813 21    
1814 22    
1815 23    
1816 24    
1817 25    
1818 26    
1819 27    
1820 28    
1821 29    
1822 30    
1823 31    
1824 32    
1825 33    
1826 34    
1827 35    
1828 36    
1829 37    
1830 38    
1831 39    
1832 40   Robert B. Thomas added the word "Old" to the title to distinguish the publication from the numerous copycat almanacs.
1833 41    
1834 42    
1835 43   Robert B. Thomas removed the word "Old" to the title.
1836 44    
1837 45    
1838 46 Poor Intact but edges foxed, brittle, creased.
1839 47    
1840 48    
1841 49    
1842 50 Poor  
1843 51 Poor  
1844 52    
1845 53    
1846 54   Robert B. Thomas died at the age of 80.  Lore states that he died in the process of editing the 1847 edition.
1847 55    
1848 56 Poor John H. Jenks becomes the 2nd editor.  This is the same year that "Old" was officially added to the title. [CONDITION: Readable, which is remarkable considering the age and quality of paper.  Foxing, fold, creases, edge wear, staining, and back page missing.]
1849 57    
1850 58 Good Well worn
1851 59   John H. Jenks added a four seasons drawing, by artist Henry Nichols, to the front cover.
1852 60 Poor The four seasons drawing was dropped for the next three issues.
1853 61    
1854 62   Published by John Marsh & Co., Boston.  48 pages.
1855 63 Good 48 pages.
1856 64   John H. Jenks reinstated the four seasons drawing, by artist Henry Nichols, to the front cover where it remains until today.
1857 65    
1858 66    
1859 67    
1860 68   Published by Hickling, Swan & Brewer, Boston, 48 pages.
1861 69   Charles L. Flint became 3rd editor and began a heavy emphasis on farming. The next two editors, John Boies Tileston and Loomis Joseph Campbell, served short terms and basically just kept the Almanac going in its traditional format.
1862 70    
1863 71   Circulation was 225.000.
1864 72    
1865 73    
1866 74    
1867 75 Good 48 pages.  Missing back cover
1868 76    
1869 77    
1870 78 Good John Boies Tileston became 4th editor.  48 pages.  
1871 79   John Boies Tileston's short-lived tenure ends.  48 pages.
1872 80 Good Loomis Joseph Campbell became the 5th editor.  Published by Brewer and Tileston of Boston.  48 pages.
1873 81   Published by Bugbee & Hall, Providence, Rhode Island.
1874 82    
1875 83    
1876 84   Published for Tibbitt's and Randall and written by Robert Thomas of Rhode Island.  On the inside cover page it says that is published by Brewer and Tileston of Boston.  48 pages.
1877 85   Robert Ware, a publisher, becomes the 6th editor.
1878 86 Good  
1879 87    
1880 88    
1881 89    
1882 90    
1883 91    
1884 92    
1885 93    
1886 94 Good  
1887 95    
1888 96    
1889 97    
1890 98   Published by G. Blatchford, Pittsfield, Mass., 48 pages.
1891 99    
1892 100    
1893 101    
1894 102 Good Cover paper is brittle and torn at the spine.  Complete.
1895 103    
1896 104    
1897 105    
1898 106 Poor  
1898 106 Poor Missing back cover.
1899 107 Poor  
1899 107    
1900 108   Robert Ware's brother, Horace takes the reins as 7th editor.  He began modifying the content towards a more general audience.  Scientific agriculture articles were systematically replaced with general features on nature and modern life.
1901 109    
1902 110 Good  
1902 110 Poor  
1903 111 Excellent  
1904 112 Excellent  
1905 113    
1906 114 Good  
1906 114 Poor  
1906 114 Good  
1907 115 Good  
1907 115 Good  
1908 116 Good  
1909 117 Poor Cover torn lose
1910 118 Good  
1911 119 Poor Missing back cover
1912 120 Poor Back cover torn and missing part
1913 121    
1914 122 Good  
1915 123 Good  
1916 124 Good  
1917 125    
1918 126 Good Horace Ware's last year.
1919 127 Good Frank B. Newton, a Borton lawyer, became the 8th editor.
1920 128 Good  
1921 129    
1922 130    
1923 131 Good  
1924 132 Good  
1925 133 Good  
1926 134 Good  
1927 135    
1928 136    
1929 137    
1930 138    
1931 139    
1932 140    
1933 141 Good Carroll Swan, a Boston advertising man and WW-I vet, becomes the 9th editor.
1934 142 Good  
1935 143 Good  
1936 144 Good Roger Scaife becomes 10th editor.  And probably the worst.  Under his "command", sales and circulation dropped sharply.  He made the biggest error by dropping the weather forecasts.  Readers were not happy.
1937 145    
1938 146 Good Circulation was 88,000.
1939 147 Good Robb Sagendorph bought the almanac and became the 11th editor.  A publisher of Yankee Magazine, he had a strong sense of history and immediately reinstated Robert Thomas' original format.
1940 148    
1941 149    
1942 150    
1943 151    
1944 152    
1945 153    
1946 154    
1947 155    
1948 156    
1949 157    
1950 158   120 pages.
1951 159    
1952 160    
1953 161    
1954 162    
1955 163    
1956 164    
1957 165   112 pages.  Original price was 25 cents.
1958 166    
1959 167    
1960 168 Poor Front cover not attached and no back cover
1961 168 Poor Front and back covers not attached
1961 169    
1962 170 Good  
1963 171 Good  
1964 172 Good  
1965 173    
1966 174    
1967 175    
1968 176 Good 148 pages. Nice printing of Edgar A. Poe's, "The Raven" including illustrations.  Some pages of the almanac contain red ink to spice is up and there are even four pages of black and white lithographed photographs.
1968 176 Good See Above
1968 176 Good See Above
1969 177 Good  
1970 178   Robb Sagendorph dies after 30 years as editor.
1971 179   Judson Hale, Robb Sagendorph's nephew, becomes the 12th editor.
1972 180   160 pages.  Some of the featured articles are "I Saw Lincoln Shot" and "Mother of Mother's Day".
1973 181    
1974 182   176 pages.  Featured articles "Passenger Pigeons" & "Salt, Your Spartan Servant".
1975 183   192 pages.  Featured articles "Battle of Lexington", "Beauty Was in The Eyes" (and nose) of the Beholder"
1976 184 Excellent I bought this one in the fall of 1975 and referred to it on nearly a daily basis throughout the bi-centennial year. 
1976 184 Good Donated by Mr. Carl Barton.  Check out his ebay auctions by clicking this link.
1977 185 Good  
1978 186    
1979 187 Good  
1979 187 Good  
1980 188    
1981 189 Good  
1982 190 Good  
1983 191    
1984 192 Good "Special Edition" - Marketing handout.
1984 192    
1985 193 Good  
1986 194    
1987 195    
1988 196 Good  
1988 196 Good  
1989 197 Good  
1989 197 Excellent Donated by Carol Scheid.  Check out her ebay auctions by clicking this link.
1990 198 Excellent Donated by Carol Scheid.  Check out her ebay auctions by clicking this link.
1991 199    
1992 200 Good 200th Anniversary Edition.  Greeting by President George Bush. 304 pages
1993 201 Excellent 256 pages.
1993 201 Good  
1994 202 Good  
1995 203 Good  
1996 204 Excellent  
1997 205 Good  
1998 206 Good  
1999 207 Excellent Hardcover with dust jacket
2000 208 Excellent  
2001 209 Excellent  
2002 210 Excellent Janice Stillman becomes the 13th, and first woman editor.
2003 211 Excellent  
2004 212 Excellent  
2005 213 Excellent  
2006 214 Excellent Circulation is 3,500,000.
2007 215 Excellent  
2008 216 Excellent  
  = In Collection
  = Need
  = Need Replacement
Poor = Significant damage, some content loss.  Missing pages. Brittle paper.  Remains threaten to be lost if not scanned and preserved digitally.
Good = Issue intact.  Some staining, foxing, minor wear problems but generally readable and complete.
Excellent = Perfect edition.

  • Very Good (VG) – Top grade - a nice copy, with all pages present, nice clean covers and no tears or stains noticeable. Looks practically new!

  • Good/Very Good (G/VG) – A complete and clean copy, possibly with minor light cover wear. Any major defects noted.

  • Good (G) – Definitely looks its age, but is a complete copy. Covers may be slightly soiled or creased, and some fraying of the spine edge may be present. Possible small cover edge tears or light stains. Any major defects noted. “Rolled Spine” – Spine edge is curled from being folded back when read.

  • Fair/Good (F/G) – Well read, and not stored well. Wear to the covers, with possible edge tears, stains. Defects often noted.

  • Fair (F) – Readable and complete, but with noted damage.

  • Poor (P) - Pages loose or missing.  Major damage such as insect and water damage, brittleness, tears.  Useful as a space holder in a collection until a better copy is obtained.

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