Benjamin Franklin - Poor Richard's Almanack - Easton Press Edition - 2004

Benjamin Franklin – Poor Richard's Almanack – Easton Press – 2004 - Collector Edition with Norman Rockwell Illustrations

This Easton Press edition collects the complete almanacs Franklin published annually from 1733 to 1758 under the pseudonym Richard Saunders. What began as a commercial venture for Franklin's Philadelphia print shop became one of the most widely read publications in colonial America, reaching print runs of ten thousand copies per year. The almanac format allowed Franklin to combine practical information with the proverbs, wit, and social commentary that made Poor Richard a household name.

The prefaces, written in the voice of the fictional Richard Saunders, established a running character and narrative that readers followed year to year. The aphorisms scattered throughout each issue drew on traditional wisdom that Franklin sharpened and rephrased for American audiences. Many remain in common use today. This edition retains Franklin's original prefaces, verses, and remarks alongside the chronological, historical, and scientific observations he included for each year.

This edition features an introduction by Van Wyck Brooks and illustrations by Norman Rockwell, whose full-color paintings bring colonial American life to the page with characteristic warmth and humor.

Full genuine leather binding in dark navy blue
Front cover with gilt portrait of Benjamin Franklin in oval medallion
Decorative gilt corner ornaments and triple-rule border
Spine with raised bands, Franklin profile medallion, and gold lettering
Gilt page edges
Silk ribbon marker
Acid-neutral archival paper
Frontispiece portrait of Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
Full-page color illustrations by Norman Rockwell
Introduction by Van Wyck Brooks
Printed and bound in the United States

Condition is fine. A well-preserved collector's copy.

Ships from Germany. Carefully packed and with tracking.