Cover of the Grays Sports Almanac.
- "You see this book? This book tells the future. Tells the results of every major sports event till the end of this century--"
- —Old Biff discussing the almanac with his younger self in 1955.
Grays Sports Almanac: Complete Sports Statistics 1950-2000, also known as Grays Sports Almanac (novelization), was a compilation of sports statistics and scores that was sold at the Blast from the Past antique/memorabilia store in downtown Hill Valley in 2015. It covered many sports from 1950 to 2000, including football, baseball, hockey, horse racing, boxing, slamball, golf, tennis, track, polo, bowling, surfing, sailing, auto racing, rugby, soccer (AKA football in UK), ping pong, darts, swimming, diving, ice skating, racquetball, rodeo, and more. Gray's had been making almanacs since 1923.
According to Blast from the Past's futuristic-looking receipt (printed on blue paper with white print, as opposed to the more familiar white with black print), the almanac cost $29.00, plus $3.19 tax, making a total of $32.19.
Blast from the Past's futuristic-looking receipt for the Grays Sports Almanac.
2015
On October 21, 2015, Marty McFly happened upon the book and fantasized about knowing the scores before they occurred to make money. When Doc Brown found the almanac, he immediately discouraged Marty from using it (or the DeLorean) for financial gain. As Doc was about to place the book in a mobile marked disposal bin, he saw police officers Reese and Foley investigating Jennifer, whom he earlier tranquilized. After the officers went away, Doc threw it on another bin and walked off. Unbeknownst to Marty or Doc, Old Biff had been listening to the conversation all along, and he had discovered the existence of the time machine. However, Biff followed Doc and Marty to Hilldale in a taxi cab, then stole the DeLorean while they were distracted in trying to rescue Jennifer.
Doc explains to Marty that the almanac is not something to take around in a time machine.
Old Biff made one trip to November 12, 1955, where he handed the book off to his younger self, in the hopes of improving his life. Having met Young Biff, Old Biff proved to him the validity of the almanac and left it with him. After this, Old Biff returned to the DeLorean and to 2015. However, shortly after arriving, he suddenly doubled over in pain, staggered away and faded from existence, but not before leaving in the car the bag and the receipt for the almanac, as well as the clenched fist-shaped top of his broken cane.
Alternate timeline
Biff was reluctant to believe "some old codger with a cane", but eventually came to believe its validity. Using it as a guide for betting, by 1985 he became a celebrity and built a financial corrupted empire in an alternate reality, where he secretly murdered George McFly, married Lorraine Baines McFly and ousted their son, Marty. On October 26, Marty, Doc, and Jennifer to 1985 and found themselves in an alternate reality. Doc discovered the items Old Biff left in the DeLorean. Doc explained Marty that the almanac caused all this and urged him to ask Biff, now his stepfather, the time he got the almanac and remedy the event.
Biff gets the almanac
Marty went to Biff Tannen's Pleasure Paradise Casino & Hotel to ask Biff about the almanac. Biff was hesitant at first, but eventually revealed that he received the book on November 12, 1955, from "some old codger" (himself). Biff then mentioned that he had been warned by the old man, that if anyone came asking about the almanac, he should kill them; by then, Biff already had a pistol at the ready. Marty distracted Biff and ran off, avoiding bullet fire. Marty, ending up on the roof of the casino, was cornered by Biff, until he saw his opportunity to leave, and jumped off... onto the hood of the DeLorean. Having walloped Biff on the jaw with the DeLorean's gullwing door, knocking him cold, Doc and Marty then traveled back to 1955 to prevent Biff from ever making use of the almanac.
Back to 1955
The almanac (or so Marty believes) changes hands.
Upon returning to November 12, 1955, Doc made mention of two Docs and two Martys, and that encountering one of the two could create a paradox to be avoided at all costs. Marty, in disguise, tracked Biff down to his house, and then into town. Unknown to Marty, Old Biff was behind a tree on the opposite side of the street. Marty climbed into the back seat and covered himself up. Old Biff then got into Biff's car and, after some heated discussion with his younger self, drove back to the house with the car. There, in the garage, Old Biff revealed the sports almanac, telling Young Biff never to leave the book lying around; to buy a safe and keep the book locked up (and until then, to always keep it on him); and never to tell anyone about the book. Old Biff told his younger self about Doc and Marty as they left the garage, locking Marty inside.
By nightfall, Biff left the house for the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, taking a few looks through the almanac on the way to the dance. Sometime during the dance, Biff put the dust cover of the almanac with an Oh La La pinup magazine, perhaps to prevent Strickland from taking it (Strickland took the pinup magazine instead). After coming up empty, Marty realized that Biff was outside harassing Lorraine and that Biff would soon be punched by George. After the event, Marty claimed to give Biff CPR and took back the almanac, with Lester believing that Marty had stolen Biff's wallet.
After preventing Biff's goons from beating his other self up, Marty ran into Biff outside the school, and the two faced off, but the fight was interrupted when Marty's other self (on his way to rendezvous with the Doc of 1955 at the clocktower) hit him with the door, exposing the almanac. Biff took it again and kicked Marty in the chest. A chase ensued with Doc and the DeLorean flying in behind Biff's car. Marty, on his hoverboard, snuck up to the passenger door and reached for the almanac, but Biff reacted and fought for it. Marty grabbed the almanac but was faced with a long tunnel to escape. Marty was nearly run over by Biff, but managed to grab flags from the Lyon Estates sign attached to the DeLorean. Biff looked up in awe, then back down, and then crashed into another manure truck.
Marty ready to destroy the almanac.
Marty and Doc returned to Lyon Estates as storm clouds began to sparkle with lightning. Marty burned the almanac in a bucket, and everything became normal again. The matchbook cover changed back to Biff's Auto Detailing, and the newspaper stories with George McFly being murdered ("GEORGE McFLY MURDERED") and Doc being committed ("EMMETT BROWN COMMITTED") changed to George and Doc both receiving awards ("GEORGE McFLY HONORED" and "EMMETT BROWN COMMENDED" respectively).
Biff's disruptions were foiled at last. Suddenly, lightning struck a tree narrowly missing the DeLorean, but a second bolt sent the malfunctioning DeLorean and Doc with it to January 1, 1885.
After arriving back with his family in 1991, Doc opened the Institute of Future Technology and soon after, went back to 2015 and bought the almanac. Soon after, he threw it away (after also checking to see if Biff was there).
Behind the scenes
- Bob Gale has commented that "a book of 50 years of sports statistics, with that many sports in it, would be fifty times thicker... but that's 'movie logic' versus 'real logic'." It was essential to the plot that the book be thin enough to be carried in Biff's pocket, and that it have a dust jacket.
- The almanac contains an incredible amount of detail, including college football games played on November 12, 1955, and the results of horse races on Biff's 21st birthday in 1958.
- In an early draft of the sequel, it was contemplated that the almanac would have 5,000 pages, made out of a very thin (if not dustproof) type of paper available by the year 2000.
- Given that newspapers from the future change as the timeline is altered (due to the ripple effect), it's conceivable that such an almanac would always be accurate.
- Back to the Future Part II is one of only a few films in which an almanac is a plot device. In the 1939 film Young Mr. Lincoln, the information from an almanac was a critical element in the final reel. The film was directed by John Ford, a director whose work was admired by Bob Gale.
Appearances
- Back to the Future Part II
- Back to the Future Part II novelization
- Back to the Future Part III (Mentioned only)
- Back to the Future: The Ride
- Back to the Future Part III (mentioned only)
- Back to the Future Part II & III
- Back to the Future: The Pinball
- Super Back to the Future Part II
- Back to the Future: The Card Game