The Revolution in Popular Publications: The Almanac and New England Primer, 1750-1800

This article explores the almanac and The New England Primer, two of the most popular publications in the British Atlantic world during the era of the American Revolution. It looks first at the print history of the almanac to show how almanacs were shaped by local print traditions and conditions and then demonstrates how location affected the politicization of the almanac's content in Philadelphia and Boston during the Revolution. The article ends with an examination of The New England Primer, with a particular focus on changes to its content in the early republic. The print histories of these two publications reveal the fragmented nature of the British Atlantic world of print, and how this fragmentation continued to inform print in the new nation.