Benjamin Franklin's annual almanac (published 1732-1758) under the pseudonym 'Poor Richard Saunders' — a combination of practical information and memorable aphorisms that made Franklin famous throughout the colonies.
The American wisdom literature origin: Poor Richard's sayings ('Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise'; 'God helps those who help themselves'; 'A penny saved is a penny earned') shaped American popular moral culture so thoroughly that many are now assumed to be proverbial. Franklin used the almanac as a vehicle for his values — industry, frugality, practical wisdom — disguised as entertainment. As a printer's business, the almanac was enormously profitable, funding Franklin's scientific and civic work.
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