ABSTRACT
The almanac, a printing phenomena which can be traced to the early Guttenberg press, and in the form of ‘clog almanacs’ made of bone and wood, far back into the medieval era, combined natural astrology (the belief that the planets and stars effected the natural world) and judicial astrology (the attempt to interpret planetary influences and make predictions) in order to inform its readers of the effects of celestial events on crops, livestock, the body and the weather.2 Almanacs were the precursor to the modern diary and often incorporated blank leaves for the owner to fill in (situating the reader directly in the text), along with lists of holy days, fairs, tide tables and distances between different communities.3 This usually culminated in a prognostication for the forthcoming year in which predictions were made concerning the weather, crop yields, wars, births, disease and death. This aspect of the almanac was most open to ridicule from those quick to point out if an expected occurrence failed to materialise.
