Cover of 1753 Poor Richard's Almanack

The first edition of Poor Richard's Almanack was published by Franklin in 1733 under the name Richard Saunders. The almanac, published yearly until 1758, was more popular than any of his newspapers. His witty sayings were printed throughout, discussing industry and thriftiness. Some examples are: "God helps them that help themselves," "He's a fool that makes his doctor his heir," and "He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals."

---

Gettysburg College Special Collections.
"Colonial America Resources," available from
http://www.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/his341/colonialamer.htm;
Internet; accessed 13 October 2004.

National Park Service - Independence National Historical Park.
"Franklin Court: Benjamin Franklin the Printer," available from
http://www.nps.gov/inde/Franklin_Court/Pages/franklinprinter.html;
Internet; accessed 13 October 2004.

back