Ben Franklin's Almanac of Wit, Wisdom, and Practical Advice: Useful Tips and Fascinating Facts for Every Day of the Year

by Old Farmer's Almanac

Ben Is Back!

Ben Franklin's inventiveness made him the greatest American genius of them all. Now, the spirit of Ben meets the challenges of 21st-century living in Ben Franklin's Almanac of Wit, Wisdom, and Practical Advice. With the 1,538 tips in this amazing book, you'll be able to do everything smarter, better, and cheaper-- just like Ben himself!

Try these for starters.

* Keep eggs fresh twice as long by keeping them in their carton-- not in the refrigerator egg holder-- and stashing them in the lowest part of the fridge.
* Make your panty hose last five times longer with a saltwater soak.
* Grow your best garden ever-- with toilet paper!
* Get your PC screen and keyboard spotless with a used fabric-softener sheet.
* Keep ice cream cones from dripping-- even on the hottest days-- by dropping a marshmallow into the bottom of the cone before adding ice cream.
* Rub off rust spots on your car's chrome with aluminum foil.
* Rid your pets of fleas by adding a tablespoon of vinegar to their food.
* Make your plastic containers smell fresh again with the daily news!

And look inside for more than 1,000 others! You'll get 365 days' worth of ingenious hints, practical solutions, and delicious recipes, along with a generous portion of Ben's witty maxims, historical tidbits, inventions, and advice. Packed with clever cleaning ideas, kitchen wisdom, smart gardening tips, savvy health hints, easy home-repair advice, weather wisdom, and, of course, money-saving strategies, Ben Franklin's Almanac of Wit, Wisdom, and Practical Advice is a book you'll turn to every day of the year.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, History

400 pages, Paperback

First published October 3, 2003

About the author

America's best-selling annual publication, with facts, feature articles, and advice that are "useful, with a pleasant degree of humor."

Reviews

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like reading the Farmer's Almanac, and this is another fun spin-off, comprised of old Ben's wit and advice. He must have been a truly interesting man.

[Peacejanz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! Easy to read with a page dedicated to each day. A lot about nature, when to plant, what to feed the birds, witty sayings by Franklin and others. Best of all are wonderful recipes for different times of the year. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book one page at a time during the year. A great Christmas book for someone for whom you do not know what to get. I am giving it to my brother who hardly ever reads. Bet he will read this and leave it in the living room by his easy chair so he can read it during commercials. I am even giving him a bookmark to go with it.

[Ryviera Shayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was published in 2003. I have now read it completely through one day at a time at least 3 different times. It works for us as a part of our morning routine and we enjoy the tips, insights and fun realizations of the things Ben said and did. What an amazing guy! We have a different one that we'll be reading next year but this is something fun and informative for everyone, one day at a time!

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not nearly all of the practical advice is valid. M0st of the trivia is truly trivial. There is some interesting history, and most of the practical philosophy is worth reading. There's a lot of gardening advice that I can't evaluate because I don't, and won't, have a garden.

It might make a fun book to own, if you can get a cheap used copy. The time constraint of a library lending period did make it hard for me to appreciate.

[Kellygirl2292 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Fun fact book
Funny interesting stories
I enjoyed it

[Sarah Force · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book. I revisit this book often and it definitely has a cozy nostalgic vibe.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book from the wit to the recipes (especially that choclate cake). All I can say is check this one out for yourself. From just sitting and reading for fun to trying the practical advice (yes, in the kitchen)it's great.

[HÒÓtie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book...have read it through twice, but I just keep re-reading it everyday. There are lots of helpful hints, recipes, stories...very enjoyable.