_The American Almanac, and Repository of Useful Knowledge, for the
year 1836. Boston: Published by Charles Bowen._
This is the seventh number of this invaluable work. Its editor, from
the first year of its publication, is understood to have been J. E.
Worcester, Esq. the indefatigable author and compiler of a number of
works requiring great industry, perseverance, and talent. Nearly
twenty years ago he became known to the public by his Universal
Gazetteer, a second edition of which, at the present time, we agree
with the North American Review in thinking would be highly acceptable
to the public. Mr. Worcester has also published a Gazetteer of the
United States--The Elements of Geography--the Elements of History--The
Historical Atlas--an Edition of Johnson's Dictionary, as improved by
Todd and abridged by Chalmers--an Abridgment of the American
Dictionary of Dr. Webster--and, lastly, A Comprehensive Pronouncing
and Explanatory Dictionary of the English Language, with Pronouncing
Vocabularies of Classical, Scripture, and Modern Geographical
Names--all of them works of intrinsic merit.
The American Almanac has long had a well-established reputation, and
Mr. Worcester is understood to have prepared, invariably, all of its
valuable contents with the exception of the astronomical department.
When we consider the great variety of topics treated of, and the
extreme difficulty of procuring accurate information in relation to
many of them, we must all admire the energy of the editor in having
brought the work to its present high state of perfection and utility.
We know of no publication of the kind more fully entitled to be called
"A Repository of Useful Knowledge."
The Almanac for 1836 contains the usual Register of the General and
State Governments, together with a vast amount of statistical and
miscellaneous matter; but "it is more particularly characterized by an
account of the principal Benevolent Institutions in the United States,
and a view of the Ecclesiastical Statistics of the Religious
Denominations."
We believe that no work of an equal extent in America contains as much
important statistical information as the seven volumes of the American
Almanac. We are happy to learn that complete sets of the publication
can still be obtained.