It doesn’t make economic sense to publish a 1,883 page book, you say. It’s still going to be available — in full — on the web, you say. What’s the big deal, you say? To which I respond with this:
That’s my desk at the Washington Post. I have every edition of the Almanac from 1972 to 2014 with the exception of 1976, my birth year and the Almanac that has become my white whale. Some people collect coins. Some people collect guns. Some people collect Christmas ornaments. Me, I collect Almanacs. Since I started covering politics way back in 1998, the Almanac has been my constant companion — helping me to tunnel deeper and deeper into the world of politics that has become my passion and my profession.
For me the Almanac was one of the seminal works of my growing up in the world. The first was “The Indian in the Cupboard”, which, as a kid, I read into the ground. In college it was “All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren. Once I entered the work world, it was the Almanac and “What It Takes” by Richard Cramer. Like a song you associate with a specific person or memory, I associate the Almanac with my discovery of a never-before-known love of politics.
I’ve made my love for the publication known lots (and lots) of times over the years.
