''Whitaker's'' is a
reference book, published annually in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
It was originally published by
J. Whitaker & Sons from 1868 to 1997, next by
HM Stationery Office until 2003 and then by
A. & C. Black, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of
Bloomsbury Publishing in 2011. The publication was acquired by
Rebellion Publishing in 2020, with the 153rd edition appearing on 15 April 2021. In mid-2022, Rebellion announced that there would not be a 2022 edition and no further editions have appeared since then.
First publication
Joseph Whitaker began preparing his Almanack in the autumn of 1868. He postponed publication of the first edition on learning of the resignation of
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman, Conservative Party (UK), Conservative politician and writer who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a ...
on 1 December 1868, so that he could include details of the new
Gladstone administration. At the same time, Whitaker continued to expand the information so that the initially planned 329 pages grew to 370. The first edition of the Almanack appeared on 23 December 1868, priced at 1
shilling
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...
, introduced by a short editorial piece written by Joseph Whitaker. It began "The Editor does not put forward this Almanack as perfect: yet he ventures to think that he has succeeded in preparing a work which will commend itself to those who desire to see improvement in this direction." It concluded by inviting critics to suggest ways in which improvements could be made.
''
The Manchester Guardian'', reviewing the first edition, described it as "the largest of the cheap almanacks" to appear, and noted it contained a great deal more valuable information than other such works. In 2013, the 2014 edition became the first to be published under the new simpler branding of "''Whitaker's''".
Content
''Whitaker's Almanack'' consists of articles, lists and tables on a wide range of subjects including
education
Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
, the
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks.
Peerages include:
A ...
,
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
departments, health and social issues, and the
environment.
The largest section is the countries directory, which includes recent
history
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...
,
politics
Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...
, economic information and culture overviews.
[ Each edition also features a selection of critical essays focusing on events of the previous year. Extensive ]astronomical
Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...
data covering the forthcoming year is published at the rear of the book.[
Whitaker's was prized enough that ]Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
took a personal interest in the continued publication of the book after its headquarters
Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
were destroyed in the Blitz. A copy is also sealed in Cleopatra's Needle on the north bank of the River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
.
Formats
Each year the ''Almanack'' is published in two formats – the Standard Edition and a shortened Concise Edition. In previous years, a larger-format of the Standard Edition, bound in leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
, was produced for libraries
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
. In 2016, Whitaker's launched its online edition through its website, which was updated weekly with free-to-view and subscription only content.[
]
Editors
The ''Almanacks current editor is Michael Rowley.
Editors since 1868
There have been eleven editors since 1868:
* Joseph Whitaker 1868–1895
* Sir Cuthbert Whitaker 1895–1950
* F. H. C. Tatham 1950–1981
* Richard Blake 1981–1986
* Hilary Marsden 1986–1999
* Lauren Simpson 1999–2004
* Vanessa White 2001–2002
* Inna Ward 2004–2008
* Claire Fogg 2008–2010
* Ruth Northey 2010–2020
* Michael Rowley 2020–
Alternative publications
*'' The World Almanac and Book of Facts''
*''The World Factbook
''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a Reference work, reference resource produced by the United States' Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The off ...
''
*'' TIME Almanac with Information Please''
*'' The New York Times Almanac''
*'' Der Fischer Weltalmanach''
*'' Europa World Year Book''
In popular culture
*''Whitaker's Almanack'' provides the key to a book cipher message at the beginning of Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...
's 1915 Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...
novel '' The Valley of Fear''. Lt. Cmdr. Data refers to the ''Almanack'' in his Holodeck portrayal of Holmes in the '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode " Elementary, Dear Data."
*''Whitaker's Almanack'' is mentioned in chapter 2 of Bram Stoker
Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912), better known by his pen name Bram Stoker, was an Irish novelist who wrote the 1897 Gothic horror novel ''Dracula''. The book is widely considered a milestone in Vampire fiction, and one of t ...
's ''Dracula
''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
'', with a copy being owned by the Count.
*It is also mentioned in Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer and one of the most influential 20th-century modernist authors. She helped to pioneer the use of stream of consciousness narration as a literary device.
Vir ...
's short story " The Mark on the Wall", the James Bond novel '' Moonraker'' and Evelyn Waugh's '' Vile Bodies''.
*In "The Round Dozen", a short story by W. Somerset Maugham, a character recalls being advised by a famous novelist that the two most useful books for a writer are the Bible and ''Whitaker's Almanack''.
References
External links
''Whitaker's Almanack'' archives
at Online Books Page, University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
{{Authority control
Almanacs
Publications established in 1868
1868 establishments in the United Kingdom
British books
Bloomsbury Publishing books
Whitaker family
Publications disestablished in 2021