Over two hundred years ago and more, calendars were in a book or notepad format and contained a great deal of useful information. In that world, which was much slower than ours, information remained relevant for months, an entire year, and even longer, and therefore, conveying it in a calendar was logical. Currency exchange rates, statistical information regarding various international locations, lists of officials in various countries or organizations, information about astronomical objects, and the changing night sky, high and low tide data, seasonal agricultural information, and more, this is the kind of information which appeared in these publications. In effect, if we consider the history of the calendar in human history overall, we are really referring to the “almanac,” – a calendar and diary that contains a great amount of information of the type enumerated above. Almanacs in the form accepted in the modern world have been known since the Middle Ages. In their simple form, they became calendars of the type that we hang on walls and display on desktops.

 

Even the old almanacs, like modern calendars, were venues for advertising. Information regarding a particular place as well as financial information easily became marketable and of advertising value. The economic advantage of advertisements on the pages of almanacs and calendars is clear, since the owner is exposed to these ads for an entire year.

 

 

Calendars and almanacs are historical resources that enable us to learn about periods, places, organizations and nuances of culture. What is and is not included in them, who their target audience is, what their design says about them, and what worldview they reflect – all of these can be garnered from the calendars collected by the National Library, as windows onto near and distant worlds.