In Scotland the earliest almanacs seem to have been produced about the beginning of the sixteenth century. Shortly after the beginning of the seventeenth century the almanacs, or "prog nostications," published at Aberdeen had begun to acquire a great reputation. About the year 1677 they were sold for a piaci,: each; and the annual circulation amounted, on an average, to 50,000 copies. In 1683 appeared a rival publica tion, under the title of Edinburgh's True Alma nack, or a True Prognostication. For a long time Scottish almanacs continued, like all others of that age, to contain little besides a calendar, with a list of fairs, and—what constituted the great attraction—predictions of the weather. But something more instructive and comprehensive became requisite, and the Edinburgh Almanac scenic to have been among the first to respond to this t.equirement of advancing civilization; for, by various additions, such as a list of Scottish members of parliament, it had, in 1745, been extended from the original 16 pages to 36. In twelve years from that date it had swelled to 72 pages; in 1779 it had reached 252 pages. After 1837 it was published under the title of Oliver and Boyd's New Edinburgh Almanac, and extended to above 1000 pages.
Almanacs containing astrological and other predictions are still published in Great Britain; but their influence is extremely limited, even among the most ignorant portion of the com munity, and their contents are fitted to excite amusement rather than any stronger emotion. In America, the publication of almanacs for popular use is confined very largely to the vendors of proprietary or patent nostrums and medicines. These persons distribute the alma nacs gratuitously, judging rightly that they con stitute a most excellent advertisement of their wares. This is due principally to the fact that people keep their almanacs at hand throughout the year, and thus the advertisentents printed in them are ever present to the public eye. Among the almanacs in America that are sold for a small price, the most important are probably the Old Farmers', issued in New England, and those coming from several great newspaper offices. It is believed that the first common almanac in this country was for 1687, from Bradford's press in Philadelphia. Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac, begun in 1732, was kept up by him about twenty-five years, and was widely known both at home and abroad for its wise and witty sayings. Tie American Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge was issued in Boston from 1828 to 1861 ; a continuation, The National Almanac, came out for two years only 1863 and 1864. Nearly every religious de nomination has its special annual, either almanac or year-book; and many trades, professions, and enterprises have similar publications.
There are also important astronomical alma nacs. The Nautical Almanac, published in Eng land, was projected by Xevil Maskelyne, trunomer 'Royal from 1765 to 1811, who urged its value in connection with the use of lunar dis tances for the determination of longitude. The first edition of this work was published with the authority of Government in 1767. After Dr. Maske]yne's death it gradually lost its char acter, and in 1830, in consequence of the numer ous complaints made against it, the Government requested the Astronomical Society to pronounce upon the subject. The suggestions of the soci ety were adopted, and in 1834 the first number of the new series appeared, with such additions and improvements as the advanced state of astronomical science rendered necessary. Still older than this almanac is the French Connais sance dcs Temps, commenced in 1679 by Picard, and now published under the authority of the Bureau des Longitudes. Its plan is similar to that of the Nautical Almanac, but it has con tained a larger amount of original memoirs, many of them of great value. Equally cele brated is the Berlin Astronomisches Jahrbuch, issued from the Berlin Observatory. In the United States the American Nautical Almanac was begun _in 1849 by Charles Henry Davis, United States Navy, and the first volume (for 1S55) was published in 1853. The publication is issued from the office of the Nautical Almanac and American Ephemeris, United States Navy Department, in Washington, and contains tables of the predicted positions of the sun, moon, and planets, and of all the fixed stars used in naviga tion. It is published three years in advance, for the convenience of navigators bound on long voyages. The Nautical Almanac or Astronomical Ephemeris is of the greatest importance to astronomers, as it contains collections of numer ical data required in the computation of their celestial observations, which are equally neces sary to enable navigators to find their way across the sea by the aid of the sextant.
The preparation and publication of these alma nacs, though most important, are so costly, that they are possible only to the great financial re sources of governments, and it is largely for this purpose that governmental astronomical ob servatories are maintained.
Congress in 1849 provided for the publication of such a work, in which "the meridian of the observatory at Washington shall be adopted and used as the American meridian for astronomical purposes, and the meridian of Greenwich shall be adopted for all nautical purposes." This law caused the division of the work into the Ameri can Ephemeris and Nautical Almanac. The first-named part is chiefly for the use of astron omers; the second is adapted to the use of navi gators.