ABSTRACT
Almanacs were widely circulated in colonial society and provided astronomical information from which astrological predictions about natural events and developments in human affairs might be made. Almanac-makers like Nathaniel Ames of Dedham (1708-1764) clearly believed their readers expected them to venture predictions, though they often tried to be circumspectly vague. The prophetical elements in almanacs encountered increasing criticism and satire after about 1720 and became less conspicuous.
