With its familiar yellow cover, The Old Farmer's Almanac is recognized not only as a reliable brand but also as a handy source of new, useful, and entertaining reading matter for every day.

The ageless appeal of the Almanac lies in its blend of timeless wit and wisdom and its broad editorial mix. Among the topics in the 2003 edition are the planet Mars; the magnificent part of our brain that is our memory; how to predict hurricanes, tornadoes, and other weather disasters; how to read tea leaves; household cures for life's little maladies; the wily willow tree; and our uncommonly accurate weather forecasts; precise astronomical information, and bounty of gardening tips and advice. As usual, the bookstore edition of the Almanac contains an exclusive 48-page reference section -- chock-full of useful charts and data -- that includes everything from the animal designations of the Chinese zodiac to how many trees are in a cord of wood.