Happy New Almanac Year! It’s time to celebrate the 230th edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac! Long recognized as North America’s most-beloved and best-selling annual, this handy yellow book fulfills every need and expectation as a calendar of the heavens, a time capsule of the year, an essential reference that reads like a magazine. Always timely, topical, and distinctively “useful, with a pleasant degree of humor,” the Almanac is consulted daily throughout the year by users from all walks of life.
The 2022 edition contains the fun facts, predictions, and feature items that have made it a cultural icon: traditionally 80 percent–accurate weather forecasts; notable astronomical events and time-honored astrological dates; horticultural, culinary, fashion, and other trends; historical hallmarks; best fishing days; time- and money-saving garden advice; recipes for delicious dishes; facts on folklore, farmers, home remedies, and husbandry; amusements and contests; plus too much more to mention—all in the inimitable Almanac style that has charmed and educated readers since 1792.
This is an update of the review I posted for the 2021 volume. I buy the Old Farmer's Almanac every year mainly for its astronomical information, which includes some data not included in other sources such as the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada's "Observer's Handbook", or the Handbook of the British Astronomical Association. Here are some of the details given in this year's OFA: the year's eclipses of Sun and Moon (though despite the heading there's no transit of Mercury in 2022); transit, rise, and set times of bright stars (correct for Boston, but adding 54 minutes gives the correct time for my own location: a table of time corrections allows the reader to make similar adjustments to rise and set times throughout the USA and Canada); duration of astronomical twilight; principal meteor showers; visibility of the naked-eye planets with their rise and set times; in the calendar pages, daily rise and set times for Sun and Moon, lunar phases, oppositions and conjunctions of the planets; and the guest article is about the Pole Star, mainly reporting the fact that it's at the pole.
There are as always some other items of interest to people who spend time outdoors, including nature and meteorological articles, though the weather forecasts are no more reliable than the astrological predictions.
Each year I try to read the Old Farmer’s Almanac before the start of the new year. I have achieved that goal, having just finished reading the Old Farmer’s Almanac 2022 Edition. And, as usual, I enjoyed my reading of this publication.
The Almanac, first and foremost, gives weather predictions. In each issue are weather guides (wind chill and heat index tables, and guides on planting by the moon), and other helpful lists (I like knowing what plants attract butterflies). Specific to this issue are articles about growing pumpkins, dahlias, and potpourri plants, about hail, and about how the winning design for the fifty-state flag was selected.
I enjoyed reading this publication, and will be referring to it through 2022.
It's the Old Farmer's Almanac, can't go wrong with this one. I remember my dad reading this when I was little, skimming through it and finding it boring. I think I felt that way about most things my parents read, including but not limited to certain issues of Reader's Digest.Thanks Aunt Louise 😂 I grew up and still live in the country, though a farmer I most certainly am not. I mostly buy and read these for the nostalgia now, as my dad has been gone for awhile. Suffice it to say that although I'm not a farmer adult me finds this a lot more interesting than child me.
Good book...alot of the material is repeated, but also updated for the current year. Very interesting weather predictions. was 78% correct last year, hope this year's predictions are alot more off track and say 50% correct--would prefer a black winter, not a white one :-)
It is interesting for information's sake, but it is strictly for Ranchers, Farmers, and Gardeners. It does have enough information that Trivia buffs would read it along with encyclopedia and dictionaries so that Trivia buffs could apply to games shows as a contestant.
Loving seeing if the weather can really be predicted so far in advance. Not always. And, sometimes I'm surprised. I'm a rancher's daughter, my Dad bought this book every year to follow the agriculture planting schedule and I loved reading the stories, recipes and fascinated with the weather.
Always look forward to reading the almanac. Will be interesting to see how this year’s predictions turn out. Expecting a snowy winter here in Northern New England
It was just okay. The Halloween decoration ideas were kinda neat. The information on apples wasn't as fascinating as last editions. The heat index calculations was neat information. How to stay cool was obvious but always worth stating. The etymology of the months though basic always makes me happy to see and it's new information to someone. The Easter/spring folklore parts were my favorites though.