David Van Nostrand (December 5, 1811 – June 14, 1886) was a New York City publisher.

Biography

David Van Nostrand was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on December 5, 1811. He was educated at Union Hall,

Jamaica, New York Jamaica is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is mainly composed of a large commercial and retail area, though part of the neighborhood is also residential. Jamaica is bordered by Hollis to the east; St. Albans, Springfi ...

, and in 1826 entered the publishing house of John P. Haven, who gave him an interest in the firm when he became of age. In 1834 he formed a partnership with William Dwight, but the financial crisis of 1837 led to its dissolution. Van Nostrand then accepted an appointment as clerk of accounts and disbursements under Captain

John G. Barnard John Gross Barnard (May 19, 1815 – May 14, 1882) was a career engineer officer in the United States Army, U.S. Army, serving in the Mexican–American War, as the superintendent of the United States Military Academy and as a general in the Unio ...

, at that time in charge of the defensive works of

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and Texas, with headquarters at

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. While so engaged he devoted attention to the study of scientific and military affairs, and on his return to New York City he began the importation of military books for officers of the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, afterward receiving orders from private individuals and from academic institutions for foreign books of science. His place of business was at first at the corner of John Street and Broadway. He founded the firm D. Van Nostrand Company in 1848. As his trade increased, he began the publication of standard works by American authors on military and scientific subjects. This extension, with the growing demands for books on scientific subjects, led him to move his firm to 23 Murray Street, where he continued until his death. In 1869 he began the publication of ''Van Nostrand's Engineering Magazine'', a monthly journal, which was devoted to selections from foreign sources, but also contained original papers on railroads, iron work, hydraulics, water reservoirs, sewage works, ventilation and mathematics (for examples). The magazine represented an early entry into the

STEM fields Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...

area of publishing. Links to the volumes are given below, where a sample article is listed from each volume. In 1884 J.C. Derby quoted

Nicholas Trübner Nicholas Trübner (17 June 1817 – 20 March 1884), born Nikolaus Trübner, was a German-English publisher, bookseller and linguist. Early life The eldest of four sons of a goldsmith in Heidelberg, Trübner was born there on 17 June 1817, and edu ...

's characterization of Van Nostrand as "a gentleman of extensive and varied information, of genial and attractive character, eminent business capacity ..." He also noted that beyond military titles, Van Nostrand published books by

Julius Weisbach Julius Ludwig Weisbach (born 10 August 1806 in Mittelschmiedeberg (now Mildenau Municipality), Erzgebirge, died 24 February 1871, Freiberg) was a German mathematician and engineer. Life and work Weisbach studied at the '' Bergakademie'' in Frei ...

on mechanics,

James B. Francis James Bicheno Francis (May 18, 1815 – September 18, 1892) was a British-American civil engineer, who invented the Francis turbine. Early years James Francis was born in South Leigh, near Witney, Oxfordshire, in England, United Kingdom. ...

on hydraulics,

Quincy Gillmore Quincy Adams Gillmore (February 28, 1825 – April 7, 1888) was an American civil engineer, author, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was noted for his actions in the Union victory at Fort Pulaski, where his mod ...

on limes and cement, and both

Squire Whipple Squire Whipple (September 16, 1804 – March 15, 1888) was an American civil engineer. Biography Squire Whipple was born in Hardwick, Massachusetts on September 16, 1804. His family moved to New York when he was thirteen. He received his seco ...

and

John A. Roebling John Augustus Roebling (born Johann August Röbling; June 12, 1806 – July 22, 1869) was a German-born American civil engineer. He designed and built wire rope suspension bridges, in particular the Brooklyn Bridge, which has been designated as ...

on bridge building. The twelve volume digest of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, ''The Rebellion Record'' by Frank Moore was published by Van Nostrand. A biography of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, authored by

Antoine-Henri Jomini Antoine-Henri Jomini (; 6 March 177922 March 1869) was a Swiss military officer who served as a general in French and later in Russian service, and one of the most celebrated writers on the Napoleonic art of war. Jomini's ideas are a staple at ...

, was translated by

H. W. Halleck Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important par ...

, an associate from New Orleans. He published

Stephen Luce Stephen Bleecker Luce (March 25, 1827 – July 28, 1917) was a U.S. Navy admiral. He was the founder and first president of the Naval War College, between 1884 and 1886. Biography Born in Albany, New York, to Dr. Vinal Luce and Charlotte Bleecke ...

's textbook on seamanship for the U.S. Naval Academy.

James Clerk Maxwell James Clerk Maxwell (13 June 1831 – 5 November 1879) was a Scottish mathematician and scientist responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism and ligh ...

's introduction to

kinetic theory Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to its motion Art and ente ...

in his book ''Matter and Motion'' was first re-printed in the ''Engineering Magazine'' and subsequently by Van Nostrand in its own binding. Van Nostrand was one of the founders of the

St. Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-day Demre ...

and

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

societies, and was an early member of the

Century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

and

Union League The Union Leagues were quasi-secretive men’s clubs established separately, starting in 1862, and continuing throughout the Civil War (1861–1865). The oldest Union League of America council member, an organization originally called "The Leag ...

clubs of New York City. He died in New York City on June 14, 1886.

''Engineering Magazine''

The ''Magazine'' appeared monthly and carried articles from other publications as well as some written for Van Nostrand. Each issue contained current information: Reports of Engineering Societies, Engineering notes, Iron & Steel notes, Railway notes, Ordnance and Naval, Book notices, and Miscellaneous. Every six months an index was compiled of a completed volume. No table of contents was published for the volumes; rather the index was placed at the head of an assembled volume as seen in these links: * January 186
Volume 1
* January 187
Volume 2
E. Sherman Gould, "Surveying Instruments", pp 5,6. * July 187
Volume 3
"Railways of the Future" * January 187
Volume 4
"Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute", p 4 * July 187
Volume 5
John Ericson "Solar Heat", p 8 * January 187
Volume 6
G.F. Grover "Notes on Fire-bricks" p 6 * July 187
Volume 7
"Theory of the Steam Engine" pp 17–26 * January 187
Volume 8
"Flow of Water in Open Canals" * July 187
Volume 9
"On Compound Engines" * January 187
Volume 10
Arthur Jacobs

ater Ater (Hebrew אֲתַר) is an Old Testament male name. #A descendant of Hezekiah, who returned from Babylon ; #An Israelite, who subscribed to Nehemiah’s covenant #A porter ; {{bibleverse, , Nehemiah, 7:45 Set index articles on Hebrew Bible ...

"Storage Reservoirs" * July 187
Volume 11
G.H. Mann "Laying out of ailwayCurves of Small Radius" p 13 * January 187
Volume 12
Abram S. Hewitt "The Future of Wages and of Iron" * July 187
Volume 13
George L. Vose "The United States Coast Survey" * January 187
Volume 14
N.B. Putnam "Arcs of Adjustment" * July 187
Volume 15
S.W. Robinson "On a New Odontograph" * January 187
Volume 16
Henry T. Eddy "New Constructions in Graphical Statics" pp 1–6 * July 187
Volume 17
H.T. Eddy continued pp 1–19 * January 187
Volume 18
A.A. Humphreys & Henry L. Abbot "Physics and Hydraulics of the Mississippi" * July 187
Volume 19
H.T. Eddy "Theory of Internal Stress" * January 187
Volume 20
Albert B. Leeds "Sanitary Science" pp 6–14 * July 187
Volume 21
H.T. Eddy "Thermodynamics" pp 1–9 * January 188
Volume 22
M.C. Stevens "Effective Ventilation" pp 13–16 * July 188
Volume 23
George W. Blodgett "Production and Transmission of Power by Electricity" pp 24–7 * January 188
Volume 24
M. Argand, A.S. Hardy translator "Geometrical Interpretation of Imaginary Quantities" pp 16–22 * July 188
Volume 25
Alex B.W. Kennedy "Kinematics of Machinery" pp 1–11 * January 188
Volume 26
William Thomson "Recent Improvements in the Compass, Corrections for Iron Ships" pp 1–11 * July 188
Volume 27
William Pole "Aerial Navigation" pp 1–15 * January 188
Volume 28
George B. Airy & Benjamin Baker "On the Proposed Forth Bridge" pp 40–5 * July 188
Volume 29
Charles C. Brown "Calibration of Thermometer" pp 1–7 * January 188
Volume 30
DeVolson Wood "Stresses in Beams" pp 1–3 * July 188
Volume 31
Wm Booth "Transformed Catenary as a Figure for Arches in Stone or Metal" * January 188
Volume 32
F. Gilman "Solar Temperature Question" * July 188
Volume 33
Wm Kent "Engineering as a Profession" pp 89–93 * January 188
Volume 34
W.C. Unwin "Water Motors" urbines* July 188
Volume 35
S.W. Robinson "Measurement of Gas Wells and other Gas Streams" pp 89–102 After the death of David Van Nostrand the assets of the ''Engineering Magazine'' were purchased by

Matthias N. Forney Matthias Nace Forney (March 28, 1835 – January 14, 1908) was an American steam locomotive designer and builder. He is most well known for the design of the Forney type locomotive. Locomotives that he designed served the elevated railroa ...

who also acquired ''American Railroad Journal''. He merged these publications to form ''The Railroad and Engineering Journal''. That publication, after acquisitions and changes in name, is perpetuated in ''

Railway Age ''Railway Age'' is an American trade magazine for the rail transport industry. It was founded in 1856 in Chicago (the United States' major railroad hub) and is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. History The magazine's ...

'' magazine.

Biography

''Engineering Magazine''

Notes

Further reading