Printed at intervals from 1733 through 1758, this bright, lively, and sly almanac contained agricultural predictions, charts of the moon's phases, and, in Franklin's words, "entertaining remarks." The focus in this edition--the most complete available--is on the last category, with such well-known aphorisms as "Fish and visitors stink after three days" and stories--for example, Poor Richard's explanation of why he started the almanac: "My Wife, good Woman . . . cannot bear to sit spinning in her Shift of Tow, while I do nothing but gaze at the Stars; and has threatened more than once to burn all my Books and Rattling-Traps (as she calls my Instruments) if I do not make some profitable Use of them for the good of my Family." Timelessly ingenious, the almanac is as fresh and engaging today as it was two and a half centuries ago.

 
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), diplomat, scientist, writer, inventor, and printer, was one of the drafters and signers of the Declaration of Independence. In his spare time, he founded the University of Pennsylvania and the first American public library.