A faithful reproduction of the original Peter Pauper Press edition of Poor Richard's Almanack, circa 1950, the current version contains the same colorful woodcuts ('quaint Cuts by and Unknown Hand') and 18th century design of the original. Printed in hard cover on heavyweight paper stock, this is a great addition to any Franklin fan's collection. Hundreds of delightful aphorisms, carefully selected from many issues of Franklin's popular 18th-century publication: Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise, & Love your Neighbor yet don't pull down your Hedge, & He that lies down with Dogs, shall rise up with fleas; and many more.
Poor Richard's Almanac
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Courteous Reader: 'It is hardly necessary to state, that Franklin did not originate all the sayings of Poor Richard. He himself tells us, that they were the 'Wisdom of many ages and nations'. Any one, familiar with Bacon, Rochefoucauld, and Rabelais, as well as Others, will recognize old friends in some of these sayings, while a study of the Collection of Proverbs, made in the early part of the eighteenth century, by Ray and Palmer, will reveal the probable source from which Poor Richard pilfer'd. Yet, with but few exceptions, these maxims and aphorisms had been filter'd through Franklin's brain, and were ting'd with that mother wit, which so strongly and individually marks so much that he said and wrote. --Introduction by Paul Leicester Ford
''If you want the brutal truth, I did not expect to get much useful information out of Poor Richard's Almanack. I wondered, what could Benjamin Franklin--a guy who has been, no offense, dead for more than two hundred years--possibly have to say that would be relevant to a resident of today's dot-com world? Plenty, as it turns out.'' --from the Introduction by Dave Barry
Courteous Reader: 'It is hardly necessary to state, that Franklin did not originate all the sayings of Poor Richard. He himself tells us, that they were the 'Wisdom of many ages and nations'. Any one, familiar with Bacon, Rochefoucauld, and Rabelais, as well as Others, will recognize old friends in some of these sayings, while a study of the Collection of Proverbs, made in the early part of the eighteenth century, by Ray and Palmer, will reveal the probable source from which Poor Richard pilfer'd. Yet, with but few exceptions, these maxims and aphorisms had been filter'd through Franklin's brain, and were ting'd with that mother wit, which so strongly and individually marks so much that he said and wrote. --from the introduction by Paul Leicester Ford
''If you want the brutal truth, I did not expect to get much useful information out of Poor Richard's Almanack. I wondered, what could Benjamin Franklin--a guy who has been, no offense, dead for more than two hundred years--possibly have to say that would be relevant to a resident of today's dot-com world? Plenty, as it turns out.'' --from the Introduction by Dave Barry
Courteous Reader: 'It is hardly necessary to state, that Franklin did not originate all the sayings of Poor Richard. He himself tells us, that they were the 'Wisdom of many ages and nations'. Any one, familiar with Bacon, Rochefoucauld, and Rabelais, as well as Others, will recognize old friends in some of these sayings, while a study of the Collection of Proverbs, made in the early part of the eighteenth century, by Ray and Palmer, will reveal the probable source from which Poor Richard pilfer'd. Yet, with but few exceptions, these maxims and aphorisms had been filter'd through Franklin's brain, and were ting'd with that mother wit, which so strongly and individually marks so much that he said and wrote. --from the introduction by Paul Leicester Ford
From the Inside Flap
Franklin's Autobiography is one of the most famous works in American literature. He started it as a private collection of anecdotes for his son, but soon it was transformed into a work of history, both personal and national, revealing Franklin as the man who, as Herman Melville said, possessed "deep worldly wisdom and polished Italian tact, gleaming under an air of Arcadian unaffectedness.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 76 people found the following review helpful
By C. Chester
Format:Paperback
So to start, there is a huge problem with this page. If you utilize Amazon's Search Inside feature for this version of the book it is actually showing you the inside of a different copy of Poor Richards Almanack. What you see is definitely not the inside of this book and I'll tell you why later.
Another problem with this page is the fact that people are reviewing the content of Poor Richards Almanack and giving you, the consumer, a history lesson on the book. But come on... the content of the book is pretty much a given. If you're not familiar with the Poor Richards Alamanack, then it's probably a good idea to check it out from a library before you buy it. You would want to own a copy simply for novelty's sake.
So onto the review of the actual product... This is a very poor copy in terms of quality (just like this review). This is just speculation, but it literally appears as if someone from the publisher went to the copy machine with an original copy of the book, pressed the "Enlarge 150%" button, photocopied the entire original book onto larger paper, bound it, put a cover on it, and sold it as the copy you see here. The black space you see on the cover is about the size of the margins within the book. This creates an obnoxious amount of white space around the paragraphs which in turn makes the book difficult to read. On top of this, some of the pages are slightly crooked.
So as I've stated, the content is exactly like the original, but you can easily find a better version than this one. Unless the book was intended for people with impaired vision, there is no reason the original book should have been blown up and placed on 2 inch margins. I would steer clear of this version and find a better one.
As a side note, there are several versions of Poor Richards Almanack. Some have his quotes reorganized into categories and some versions have his quotes re-written into more modern language. And there is, of course, the original. For Christmas, I got my Mom the original as well as the one with the organized quotes. So I guess it's whatever your preference is.
Another problem with this page is the fact that people are reviewing the content of Poor Richards Almanack and giving you, the consumer, a history lesson on the book. But come on... the content of the book is pretty much a given. If you're not familiar with the Poor Richards Alamanack, then it's probably a good idea to check it out from a library before you buy it. You would want to own a copy simply for novelty's sake.
So onto the review of the actual product... This is a very poor copy in terms of quality (just like this review). This is just speculation, but it literally appears as if someone from the publisher went to the copy machine with an original copy of the book, pressed the "Enlarge 150%" button, photocopied the entire original book onto larger paper, bound it, put a cover on it, and sold it as the copy you see here. The black space you see on the cover is about the size of the margins within the book. This creates an obnoxious amount of white space around the paragraphs which in turn makes the book difficult to read. On top of this, some of the pages are slightly crooked.
So as I've stated, the content is exactly like the original, but you can easily find a better version than this one. Unless the book was intended for people with impaired vision, there is no reason the original book should have been blown up and placed on 2 inch margins. I would steer clear of this version and find a better one.
As a side note, there are several versions of Poor Richards Almanack. Some have his quotes reorganized into categories and some versions have his quotes re-written into more modern language. And there is, of course, the original. For Christmas, I got my Mom the original as well as the one with the organized quotes. So I guess it's whatever your preference is.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
A wonderful book of sayings that espouse Ben Franklin's views on life. In general, he was an advocate of honesty, hard work, moderation in all indulgences, and being a good person. While these may sound like simple principles, the wittiness and cleverness with which they are presented make them memorable and therefore useful.
Buy two copies of this book -- one for yourself and one for your child when they reach their teenage years. You'll both be better off. My copy is marked up so I can easily find my favorite sayings, and I find myself flipping through it often.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Franklin's timeless compilation of whit and wisdom is truly a classic. The book contains some of the most interesting and impressive collection of comments that Franklin was able to put in this compendium. While many are ascribed to Franklin, he specifically does not take credit for the adages himself. Rather, he indicates that they are commonly utilized comments and expressions of the vernacular.
The individual enticements cover all areas of thought and society. He was able to capture these moments of brilliance and publish them so that they are available for all time. Such common phrases and expressions are recognizable to most readers. When Franklin says, "You can bear your own Faults, and why not a Fault in your Wife?" the reader sees these as aphorisms that are applicable as well in 2006 as they were when he published them back in the 18th Century.
While Franklin may not have penned all these witticisms personally, he surely did massage them through his brilliant mind. Such comments as "Time is an herb that cures all diseases" and "Better slip with Foot than Tongue" are metaphors that all could have come up with, but Franklin was the one who wrote them down for all time. In fact, the reader can open virtually any page in the book and find something that is applicable to whatever situation is at hand.
The book is an essential part of all reader's libraries. It is recommended for every and all serious readers.
The individual enticements cover all areas of thought and society. He was able to capture these moments of brilliance and publish them so that they are available for all time. Such common phrases and expressions are recognizable to most readers. When Franklin says, "You can bear your own Faults, and why not a Fault in your Wife?" the reader sees these as aphorisms that are applicable as well in 2006 as they were when he published them back in the 18th Century.
While Franklin may not have penned all these witticisms personally, he surely did massage them through his brilliant mind. Such comments as "Time is an herb that cures all diseases" and "Better slip with Foot than Tongue" are metaphors that all could have come up with, but Franklin was the one who wrote them down for all time. In fact, the reader can open virtually any page in the book and find something that is applicable to whatever situation is at hand.
The book is an essential part of all reader's libraries. It is recommended for every and all serious readers.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
My daily reading.
I love this book. It will be on my gift list for others. What a brilliant man Ben Franklin was in a very understated manner. The book arrived on time and packaged perfectly.
Published 16 days ago by Melvin Wood
5.0 out of 5 stars
Purchased at Amazon
We have other books on Benjamin Franklin and our child enjoys his quotes. This is a good book for additional quotes.
Published 1 month ago by Mom
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nifty
This was a Neet book reading the quotes , and the way they were wrighten in the language of the times
Published 2 months ago by Bobby
3.0 out of 5 stars
Poor Richard's Almanac - sayings
This was less substantial than I thought it would be. The quotes or sayings are not categorized, but just in a pages long list without any sense of what they are for. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Priscilla Ciccariello
4.0 out of 5 stars
Common Sense
Great common sense quotes. I have heard many of these through my life but didn't realize where they came from.
Published 2 months ago by bruce d gray
5.0 out of 5 stars
An American Classic
My husband is a huge fan of Benjamin Franklin so this was a gift for him and he really enjoyed it. Sure, you can get Benjamin Franklin's quotes anyway on the internet but it's fun... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Randee Baty
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another money maker . . .
Publisher selected some entries from Poor Richard and reprinted them with some preliminary paragraphs by some well known names in comedy writing/performance. A sure money maker. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Wayne Way
5.0 out of 5 stars
Old Reliable
If you don't have a copy of this in your home shame on you.
Good 'ol Ben. Wise and funny !!
Good 'ol Ben. Wise and funny !!
Published 3 months ago by EGE
4.0 out of 5 stars
good book
a lot of the saying in the book are somewhat outdated and a bit hard to understand. Over all it is a great resource and it well put together. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Edward Grey
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pseudonym.
Yes, Dr. Franklin gave his sage advice under a pen name but when it became sucessful owned up to it. The things you remember your mother telling you, really were his. Read more
Published 4 months ago by edoubre
