Excerpt from Poor Richard's Almanac for 1851, as Written by Benjamin Franklin, for the Years 1736-1737-1738: The Astronomical Calculations Adapted to Boston, New-York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Charleston; To Which Is Added, the Continuation of the Life of the Great Philosopher Presumptuous man! The reason would'st thou find Why formed so weak, so little, and SO blind? First, if thou canst, the harder reason guess. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Poor Richard's Almanack is one of Benjamin Franklin's most charming creations. He delighted in cloaking his writing behind a variety of literary personas, and Richard Saunders remains one of his most beloved. Some critics have complained that Poor Richard reveals the shallow materialism at the heart of Franklin's homespun philosophy and, by extension, at the heart of America itself. Even so, Almanack holds a central place in understanding Franklin and his evolution from humble tradesman to founding father as well as providing a window into colonial America. Franklin's sharp wit still retains its ability to surprise and delight readers today.