Almanacs

Over the span of this class, I adopted the nation of New France however for this post I could not find an almanac that stretched into this region. Thus, I will focus on Asa Houghton’s The Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Diary and Almanac printed in 1800 and fitted for Boston, Massachusetts. Astrology is emphasized in this almanac with pages of calculations based on the year 1800. These solar calculations are significant because they were used by readers to glean information about themselves and others based on their signs, the lunar cycle, and more. They provide a detailed description of these cycles throughout the entire year breaking it up into months. According to an outside source, zodiacs were included in almanacs because astrologers linked each sign to different aspects of the human body. For instance, in this Almanac we see the linking of those with the Taurus sign to the neck. With these links, The Man of Signs was created that depicted the relationship between the signs and body parts. The Man of Signs was used to impart medical advice and other tidbits within the Almanac. These ideas are significant because they provided an outlet for readers to connect to astrology and how it presented within their own being. They were able to see how their personalities came to be and what it meant as they passed through the year 1800. From this, they can use this information as the year progresses to understand how different lunar cycles, the month, etc. affect different aspects of their body, mind, and environment. It gives another source to look at to explain even the most mundane aspects of readers’ lives.

Works Cited

Houghton, Asa. The gentlemen's and ladies' diary, and almanac; with an ephemeris, for the year of the Creation, according to sacred writ, 5762; and of the Christian era, 1800: ... Fitted for the latitude and longitude of Boston, (Mass.) but will serve for the adjoining states without sensible variation. By Asa Houghton, philom. [Ten lines of verse]. Keene (N.H.), [1799]. Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. 10 Nov. 2020 <http://find.gale.com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/ecco/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=ECCO&userGroupName=umd_um&tabID=T001&docId=CW125788701&type=multipage&contentSet=ECCOArticles&version=1.0&docLevel=FASCIMILE>.

Old Farmer's Almanac. “The Man of Signs (Zodiac Man).” Old Farmer's Almanac, www.almanac.com/content/man-signs-zodiac-man.