People’s Almanac was published by R. H. Russell in 1903. Ade adopted the almanac format — a familiar fixture of American popular publishing since Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack — and filled it with his own brand of satirical observation. Organized by month, the book combined slang fables with commentary on weather, holidays, social customs, and the seasonal rhythms of midwestern American life.
The almanac format gave Ade a structure that his fable collections lacked: the calendar year provided a natural organizing principle, and the seasonal observations grounded his satire in the physical reality of midwestern existence — the killing winters, the brief violent springs, the humid summers, the golden autumns.
Collecting People’s Almanac
First edition (R. H. Russell, New York, 1903): Illustrated cloth.
Market values:
- Fine condition: $40–$100
- Very good: $15–$40
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
The Almanac as Comedy
Ade organises this collection as a calendar, with entries for each month combining his signature slang fables with observations on weather, holidays, social customs, and the rhythms of midwestern life. The format gives the book a loose, genial quality — it reads like a year spent in Ade’s company, with his running commentary on American habits providing the connective thread. The almanac tradition in American humor runs from Benjamin Franklin through Josh Billings to Ade, and this is one of the format’s late, pleasant specimens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Ade’s relationship with Purdue University? Ade was a devoted Purdue alumnus who donated the land for Ross-Ade Stadium (named jointly for him and David Ross). He hosted massive alumni gatherings at his Hazelden estate and supported the university financially throughout his life. The stadium, which seats over 57,000, remains his most visible legacy.