In the preface for his 1737 edition, Poor Richard turns his attack on another almanac writer, John Jerman, for making weather predictions that were so vague as to be useless. He does concede, however, that his own weather predictions are sometimes off by a few days. This he blames on his “printer” (i.e., Franklin) for moving his predictions around a bit in order to fit in the holidays. Since he had noted the previous year that Franklin was getting the credit for what Poor Richard wrote, it was only fair that he also take the blame.
POOR RICHARD’S ALMANAC FOR 1737
Courteous and kind Reader,
This is the fifth time I have appeared in public, chalking out the future year for my honest countrymen, and foretelling what shall, and what may, and what may not come to pass; in which I have the pleasure to find that I have given general satisfaction. Indeed, among the multitude of our astrological predictions, ’tis no wonder if some few fail; for, without any defect in the art itself, ’tis well known that a small error, a single wrong figure overseen in a calculation, may occasion great mistakes: but however we almanac-makers may miss it in other things, I believe it will be generally allowed that we always hit the day of the month, and that I suppose is esteemed one of the most useful things in an almanac.
As to the weather, if I were to fall into the method my brother J——n sometimes uses, and tell you, snow here or in New England, rain here or in South Carolina, cold to the northward, warm to the southward, and the like, whatever errors I might commit, I should be something more secure of not being detected in them: but I consider, it will be of no service to any body to know what weather it is 1000 miles off, and therefore I always set down positively what weather my reader will have, be he where he will at the time. We modestly desire only the favorable allowance of a day or two before and a day or two after the precise day against which the weather is set; and if it does not come to pass accordingly, let the fault be laid upon the printer, who, ’tis very like, may have transposed or misplaced it, perhaps for the conveniency of putting in his holidays: and since, in spite of all I can say, people will give him great part of the credit of making my almanacs, ’tis but reasonable he should take some share of the blame.
I must not omit here to thank the public for the gracious and kind encouragement they have hitherto given me: but if the generous purchaser of my labors could see how often his five pence helps to light up the comfortable fire, line the pot, fill the cup and make glad the heart of a poor man and an honest good old woman, he would not think his money ill laid out, though the almanac of his
were one half blank Paper.