Benjamin Franklin’s most famous publication was largely a collection of borrowed, sharpened wit.

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 29 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Poor Richard's Almanack was a colonial bestseller, selling 10,000 copies annually. While often credited entirely to Franklin, he wrote only about one in ten of its famous proverbs. Instead, he acted as a master curator, refining aphorisms from earlier writers to create a cultural phenomenon that defined the American spirit.

Published from 1732 to 1758, Poor Richard's Almanack was a staple of colonial life. Benjamin Franklin adopted the persona of Richard Saunders—a name borrowed from a seventeenth-century London almanac—to deliver a mix of weather forecasts, puzzles, and practical advice. The publication was a commercial triumph, providing Franklin with significant economic success. In 1735, he even sent 500 copies to his late brother's widow to help her earn an income.

The Almanack’s enduring fame rests on its proverbs, which championed thrift and industry. However, Franklin was an adapter rather than a sole creator. He drew heavily from anthologies like Thomas Fuller’s 1732 Gnomologia, often sharpening the language for greater impact. For instance, he transformed Fuller's observation about a man in passion riding a runaway horse into the punchier, 'A Man in a Passion rides a mad Horse.' This editorial agility helped cement the Almanack as a repository of American vernacular.

Beyond its wit, the Almanack functioned as a clever marketing machine. Franklin used serial 'news stories,' such as a mock feud with fellow astrologer Titan Leeds, to ensure readers returned year after year to see how the drama unfolded. While some contemporaries like Hawthorne and Melville later caricatured the work, its influence was profound. Sociologist Max Weber famously used it to illustrate the 'spirit of capitalism' in his 1905 work, and its format remains the blueprint for modern farmer's almanacs today.

The Almanack’s reach extended far beyond the Thirteen Colonies. It was translated into French, Italian, and even Slovene, and it inspired the naming of the USS Bonhomme Richard. By the time the original Richard Saunders character faded, the Almanack had become a mirror of the social mores of its time—a practical, if sometimes cynical, guide that helped shape the identity of a young nation.

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