Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanack was first published in 1733.
Facing heavy competition from similar publications, Franklin took the
unusual and controversial approach of injecting witty, unexpected
entries between standard tables of tides, planetary motion, weather
predictions and other facts. In the debut edition, faithfully reproduced
here, he included under the heading Principal Kings of Europe, "Poor
Richard, an American Prince, without subjects, his wife being Viceroy
over him, born October 23, 1684, age 49." The Almanack went on to become
the most popular book of it's kind in colonial America and was published
annually for the next 25 years. This facsimile offers a unique and
entertaining look at 18th century American life and humor.