''Modern Electrics'' was a technical

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

for the

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emergency communic ...

experimenter. The magazine existed between 1908 and

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

History and profile

''Modern Electrics'' was created by

Hugo Gernsback Hugo Gernsback (; born Hugo Gernsbacher, August 16, 1884 – August 19, 1967) was a Luxembourgish–American editor and magazine publisher, whose publications including the first science fiction magazine. His contributions to the genre as publ ...

and began publication in April 1908. The magazine was initially intended to provide mail-order information for radio parts and to promote the amateur radio hobby, but it later became a vehicle for technology-based fiction stories. The first fiction appeared in the April, 1911 issue, and the series of 12 installments by Hugo Gernsback would later be published as the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

novel ''

Ralph 124C 41+ ''Ralph 124C 41 +'', by Hugo Gernsback, is an early science fiction novel, written as a twelve-part serial in ''Modern Electrics'' magazine, which Gernsback edited, beginning in April 1911. It was compiled into novel/book form in 1925. While it p ...

''. The circulation for this magazine increased rapidly, starting at 2,000 and increasing to 52,000 in 1911. In 1908, the magazine announced the "wireless registry", a listing of radio owners, their call letters, and the type of equipment they owned and how it was operated. The magazine was sold in 1913, and ceased publication in 1914. It then merged with '' Electrician and Mechanic'' to become '' Modern Electrics and Mechanics.'' The experience Gernsback gained with ''Modern Electrics'' led him to introduce ''

Electrical Experimenter ''The Electrical Experimenter'' was an American technical science magazine that was published monthly. It was established in May 1913, as the successor to ''Modern Electrics'', a combination of a magazine and mail-order catalog that had been publ ...

'' magazine in 1913 and pulp

magazine ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearances i ...

'' in 1926.

References

External links

Digitized Modern Electrics on American Radio History

Modern Electrics Archive at Hathitrust
1908 establishments in the United States 1914 disestablishments in the United States Hobby magazines published in the United States Monthly magazines published in the United States Science and technology magazines published in the United States Amateur radio magazines Defunct magazines published in the United States Hugo Gernsback Magazines established in 1908 Magazines disestablished in 1914 Magazines published in New York City Popular science magazines {{hobby-mag-stub