The author's preface, signed Philodemos, states that he undertook the preparation of this almanac "as Mr. Ames, (son of the lately deceased Dr. Ames) declined furnishing the public with an almanack for the year 1766, and application was made by the printers to the author." This assertion is denied by Ames in his own preface to his 1766 almanac, issued by McAlpine and Fleeming.

This part of Philodemos' preface is quoted in identical pre-publication advertisements in the Massachusetts gazette and Boston news-letter (R. & S. Draper) for Sept. 5, 1765, the Boston gazette (Edes & Gill) for Sept. 9, and the Boston evening post (T. & J. Fleet) for Sept. 2. The advertisements go on to state that the early publication date is for the purpose of avoiding the Stamp Act, which was to go into effect on Nov. 1.

The actual publication of the almanac is advertised in a shorter notice, containing the same extract from the preface, in the Massachusetts gazette for Sept. 26 and the Evening post for Sept. 23, and in a briefer announcement in the Gazette for Sept. 23.

Attributed to Joseph Willard (1738-1804), later president of Harvard, by Evans and in Sibley's Harvard graduates. See also Sidney Willard, Memoirs of youth and manhood, 1855, v. 1, p. 25.

C.L. Nichols, in "Notes on the almanacs of Massachusetts" (Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, n.s. v. 22 (1912): 64) calls this "a pirated edition because of failure of Ames to agree with the printers." It is not in fact a pirated edition, however, because the calculations and calendar page notes differ from those of Ames, and there is no pretence that he is the author.

Signatures: [A]⁴ B-C⁴.

Evans 10212

Bristol B2545

Shipton & Mooney 41513

Drake, M. Almanacs, 3146