In the ancient and medieval world, almanacs were calendars with additional useful information added. With the advent of printing in the 15th century, almanacs printed in booklet or book form were consistent profit-makers for printers. As early as the 17th century, advertisements for medications began to appear in almanacs. By the 19th century, many companies published and distributed free or low-cost almanacs and cookbooks to promote their products.
This page is from the 1938 Rawleigh’s Good Health Guide, Almanac, Cook Book, a 34-page publication promoting the wide variety of household products of the Rawleigh Company. These booklets were published from 1892 to 1960.
Courtesy of Internet Archive.
To learn more, see Discovering Quacks, Utopias, and Cemeteries: Modern Lessons from Historical Themes