Like today's health magazines, almanacs were a source of medical advice in early America. From a content analysis of 1,700-plus general and specialty almanacs published in the US between 1646 and 1861, Horrocks (Houghton Library for Collections, Harvard U.) found that those appearing after 1750 offered advice on treating such ailments as rheumatism and "the falling disease" (epilepsy), while earlier examples of the genre mainly offered astrological advice. He also examines regional differences in content. The book includes reproduced almanac pages and a list of the almanacs reviewed. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)