This page has been removed from search engines' indexes. Science and Invention was an American science and technology magazine founded by Hugo Gernsback and published from August 1920 to August1931. The magazine covered chemistry, astronomy, mechanics and radio. It also published "scientific fiction" stories. The circulation was 150,000 in 1920.[1]
Publishing History
editHugo Gernsback's Electro Importing Company catalogs had elaborate instructions on how to use the electrical and radio parts they sold. These catalogs spawned Modern Electrics in April 1908 and the magazine had over 100,000 readers by 1911.[2] In March 1913, Gernsback sold the magazine and the Modern Publishing Company to his business partner, Orland Ridenour. [3] Gernsback then started a new magazine, The Electrical Experimenter, in May 1913. The magazine was initially published by the Electro Importing Company until Experimenter Publishing was formed in March 1915.[4] The Electrical Experimenter added a subtitle of "Science and Invention' in June 1918 and this became the primary title in August 1920.[5]
The Experimenter Publishing Company became a successful publisher of magazines and books. Radio News was started in June 1919 and was devoted to radio hobbyist. Practical Electrics was a general audience magazine. A radio station, WRNY began broadcasting in 1925.
By 1927 the expenses exceeded the income of the Experimenter Publishing Company. The printer and paper supplier were each owed over $150,000. On February 20, 1929 an involuntary petition in bankruptcy was filed against the Experimenter Publishing Company. The total liabilities were estimated at $600,000 and assets at $182,000. A federal judge appointed the Irving Trust Company as the receiver.[6] The Irving Trust Company kept the magazines and radio station operating but removed Hugo Gernsback and his brother Sidney from the company. The bankruptcy was not contested and the magazines and radio stations were auctioned. Two publishers, Bernarr Macfadden and B. A. MacKinnon were the leading bidders. MacKinnon prevailed and paid $500,000 for the magazines. The radio station was sold for $100,000. [7]
MacKinnon's plan was to pay off the $500,000 debt of acquiring the magazine with the revenue from the magazines. The Great Depression drove many advertisers out of business and made magazines a luxury for many readers. In early 1931 MacKinnon's management team and Radio-Science Publications ceased operations with the August 1931 issues. Bernarr Macfadden's newly formed Teck Publishing Corporation took over Radio News and Amazing Stories with the September 1931 issue.[8] Science and Invention was absorbed into Popular Mechanics magazine.[9][10]
Contents
editThe magazine was issued in the large bedsheet format, 8 ×11.75in (203×298mm), with a color illustration of the feature story on the cover
References
edit- ^ "Announcing Our New Name - Science and Invention". Printers' Ink. 112 (7): 151. August 12, 1920.
- ^ >Westfahl, Gary (1998). The Mechanics of Wonder: The Creation of the Idea of Science Fiction. Liverpool University Press. p. 75. ISBN 9780853235637.
- ^ >Ashley, Michael (2000). Time Machines: The Story of the Science-Fiction Pulp Magazines from the Beginning to 1950. Liverpool University Press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0853238553.
- ^ "New Incorporations". The New York Times. March 20, 1915. p. 15.
Experimenter Publishing Co., printers, stationers and publishers, $10,000; M. Hymes, S. and H. Gernsback, 817 West End Av.
- ^ Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 2: Periodicals. Library of Congress, Copyright Office. January–December 1920. Was Electrical Experimenter in July 1920 and Science and Invention in August 1920
- ^ "Radio News Publisher In Hands Of Receiver". The New York Times. February 21, 1929. p. 36.
- ^ "To Pay 95% Of Debts In $600,000 Failure". The New York Times. April 4 1929. p. 22.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "New Incorporations". The New York Times. July 15, 1931. p. 39. "Teck Publishing Corp. J Schultz. 522 5th Av. $10,000" Joseph Schultz was the attorney for Macfadden Publications, Inc.
- ^ "Popular mechanics magazine : written so you can understand it". Catalog, Joyner Library, East Carolina University. Retrieved October 4, 2008. The catalog entry for Popular mechanics magazine (c1913-c1959) has the following note: "Absorbed: Illustrated world (Chicago, Ill.), June 1923; Science and invention (New York, N.Y. : 1925), Sept. 1931."
- ^ "Science and Invention". Popular Mechanics Magazine. 56 (3): 353. September 1931.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) Science and Invention has been merged into Popular Mechanics. Subscribers will receive Popular Mechanics.