Word of the day—almanac
I read this word today. The writer used it with a straight face on the assumption that we all know what it means. I love the word. Unpicked it hints of all maniacs, man ack ack — lots of aggro — and yet it looks so round and fat and insecure.
I figure an almanac was the olden days’ analog bunch of phone apps.
To find out whether almanacs are still printed and published and popular, I consulted a search engine, not an almanac. Turns out they are still printed and published. Blimey, who knew? But who on earth uses them?
In the 60s the World Almanac and the Information Please Almanac were the epitome of reference books. I used to think that just about everything you needed to know was in them. They came out in December and they had info about events up through the first week of November.
And to some of us that seems like yesterday.
maybe those who are in the “trade” use the almanac. I searched and noted a NZ nautical publication which you can download digitally…and when I think of tides, sun rise/set you often see them on the digital weather apps … There is probably a career in this notion; apprenticeships and all that jazz…
I remember years ago always buying a farmers’ diary and it had all kinds of information in it because weather, but prices of cereals and stuff about the land, graphs…I just liked the extra info it had. Probably because my family had been farmers and it appealed. Whereas other friends had botanical sort of books with pretty flowers and growing info…
Those were the days! I’ll stick with the apps of Metlink etc. Some people don’t have internet connection though.
My daughter always wanted one for Christmas in the early 80’s. She loved all the facts and quoted them forever. Her kids are the same.
They did have a eerie fascination.
She even made it through a few auditions for “So You Want to Be A Millionaire” because of her vast random knowledge.
There is something about the printed page one cannot define.. Facts on a screen are not recalled with the same nostalgia, or imagery– as words we thumb through, mark up, and carry around to show to someone else, or toss in our car, and curl up and read by the fire, or out on the porch (never mind what they say about Kindles, you have to be too careful about dropping them, getting them wet, etc…)…Ah, all those interesting facts in an Almanac…I remember the one my grandmother kept in her kitchen; it matched her old 2-story wooden home with the double upstairs and downstairs porches, perfect for viewing the Blue Ridge mountain weather she faithfully read about in her Almanac.
What nostalgia for the time of the almanac is emerging! It was more than a book, I see that now
Old Moore’s Almanac was a tradition in especially in rural Ireland. I grew up with the book and it is part of the build up to Christmas for the Almanac to come in the post.
Wonderful story. Amazing book.