The Almanacs—Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

Fragments of documents and instruments identifiable as almanacs, together with the comments of ancient writers and the circumstances surrounding historical deeds indicate that almanacs have existed from the earliest attempts at the organization of time into units larger than the day. The value of such works to navigation was slight when voyages beyond sight of land were few and of short duration; nor were they readily available when books had to be hand copied. Yet the contents of almanacs had an influence on sailing; the average mariner, being neither more ignorant nor less superstitious than the merchant or farmer, was likewise subject to occult predictions when almanacs were in the hands of the astrologers.