Benjamin Franklin | Poor Richard ... for the year 1748

Benjamin Franklin

Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun and Moon … For the Bissextile Year, 1748. … Fitted to the latitude of forty degrees, and a meridian of near five hours from London; but may, without sensible error, serve all the Northern Colonies. Philadelphia: Printed and Sold by B. Franklin, [1747]

12mo (156 x 88 mm). Woodcut borders; a few leaves just shaved at top, some browning, staining, and spotting. Contemporary drab paper wrappers; edges ragged. Slipcase, chemise.

First edition of the rare Northern Colonies issue, with the first use of the title "Poor Richard Improved." The improvement is remarked upon by Franklin at the head of the title-page: "Note, this Almanack us'd to contain but 24 Pages, and now has 36; yet the Price is very little advanc'd."

The almanack appeared in three different issues in an attempt by Franklin to customize it for regional markets. The present copy is the Northern Colonies issue. The Pennsylvania market issue had a list of the governors of Pennsylvania; and the Southern issue had a court schedule for Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The experiment was apparently unsuccessful since Franklin reverted to a single edition the following year.

REFERENCES

Miller 419; ESTC W22783; Evans 5952; Hildeburn 1037; Drake 9694