The world is quite a different place from what it was when the Old Farmer's Almanac was first published in 1792.
Funny then, that the almanac hasn't changed that much. Sure, there are differences. The use of photographs, for instance, is something founder Robert B. Thomas could not have envisioned. And what would Thomas have thought of the attendant Web site, www.almanac.com ?
But the basic information -- the tide and sunrise/sunset tables, charts for regional growing seasons, weather predictions and recipes -- have been the heart of the publication for 214 years.
"It speaks to a timelessness," says editor Janice Stillman, who was in Pittsburgh Tuesday. "And the content gives you a sense of everything in rhythm, nature in its own time, and that we all fit in here, and there's a predictability to life and circumstances, a balance in nature."
The 2006 edition of the Old Farmer's Almanac, already in bookstores and on newstands, continues the tradition of providing the basic information any farmer needs to tend crops. There's even a table with the gestation and mating periods for farm animals.
And, yet, the average reader of the almanac lives in the suburbs -- not in the wide-open fields of farm country.
"They live on an acre or less, and that's an indication that they're small-plot gardeners, relatively low maintenance, who have pets and enough room for small animals," Stillman says.
There are 3.5 million copies of the Old Farmer's Almanac printed and distributed every year. Stillman says a lot of the feedback the publication receives indicates its a family tradition, with generations growing up perusing the almanac. An average reader picks up the almanac for information 22 days per year, she adds.
The 2006 edition features a timely look at the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. The story, which was planned well in advance of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, nevertheless bears an eerie similarity to the recent natural disasters, with pictures showing tent cities for refugees and vivid recollections from survivors.
Stillman notes the coincidence of recent events and the centennial of the San Francisco earthquake, but takes heart in how, historically, "people have come together through tragedy and disaster," she says. "You can take encouragement from the kind of strength shown by communities."
New this year is a children's version, the Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids. It features information similar to the adult version, with tips for kids about raising pets and about sports, including one about the Penguins' Mario Lemieux.
The Old Farmer's Almanac is arguably best known for is's weather prognostications. Stillman claims the publication has an 80 percent accuracy rate through the years.
So, what kind of winter is the Almanc predicting for Pittsburghâ¢
It's a mixed bag, with a cold December and heavy snow forecast between Christmas and the new year. January will be colder than average, with lots of snow, but February will be milder than usual. March, however, will be cold, followed by snow in early April.
Snow in April?
"Remember that snow in April stays no longer than water on a trout's back," Stillman says, quoting some of the almanac's homespun wisdom. "And remember that whatever the weather, whether it's winter, summer, spring or fall, the only perfect climate is in bed."
