''Electrician and Mechanic'' was an American science and technology magazine published from 1890 to January 1914 when it merged with ''Modern Electrics'' to become ''Modern Electrics & Mechanics''. "Modern electrics and mechanics. Month Vol 1–6 no 9; vol 28 nos 1–6. July 1908–June 1914. In 1914 combined with Electrician and mechanic and became Modern Electrics and Mechanics. The volume number is changed to 28. In July 1914 incorporated with Popular Electricity and the World's Advance and the title became ''Popular Electricity and Modern Mechanics''. In July 1914, incorporated with Popular Electricity and the World's Advance and the title became ''Popular Electricity and Modern Mechanics''. The new publisher, Modern Publishing, began a series of magazine mergers and title changes so numerous that librarians began to complain. In October 1915 the title became '' Popular Science Monthly'' and the magazine is still published under that name today.

Origin

''Bubier's Popular Electrician'' (founded 1890) was acquired by Frank R. Fraprie and the newly formed Sampson Publishing Company in May 1906. The name was changed to ''Electrician & Mechanic'' with the July issue. Title was ''Bubier's Popular Electrician'' in June 1906 (Vol. 16, No. 6) and ''Electrician and Mechanic'' in July 1906 (Vol. 17, No. 1). The editors were Frank Fraprie, Arthur Eugene Watson and Mary Otis Sampson. Sampson was also the treasurer and director of the publishing company. (Fraprie and Sampson were married in 1911.) By 1912, ''Electrician and Mechanic'' had absorbed three other magazines; ''Amateur Work'', ''Building Craft'' and ''Collins Wireless Bulletin''. The magazine typically had about 100 pages and each issue covered a wide variety of topics in electricity, wireless radio, machining, mechanical drawing, wood working and chemistry. There were articles for radio technicians such as "The Calculation of Inductance" that details how to design and wind coils for a

wireless telegraphy Wireless telegraphy or radiotelegraphy is transmission of text messages by radio waves, analogous to electrical telegraphy using cables. Before about 1910, the term ''wireless telegraphy'' was also used for other experimental technologies for ...

set. A skilled machinist might read about "The Production of Accurate Screw-Threads in a Lathe". There were also articles for the hobbyist readers. Woodworkers could find plans for an armchair or a simple letter box.

Mergers

Popular Electricity and Modern Mechanics Sep 1914

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 pub ...

's Electro Importing Company catalogs had elaborate instructions on how to use the electrical and radio parts they sold. These catalogs spawned ''

Modern Electrics ''Modern Electrics'' was a technical magazine for the amateur radio experimenter. The magazine existed between 1908 and 1914. History and profile ''Modern Electrics'' was created by Hugo Gernsback and began publication in April 1908. The magaz ...

'' in April 1908 and the magazine had over 100,000 readers by 1911. In March 1913, Gernsback sold the magazine and the Modern Publishing Company to his business partner, Orland Ridenour. Orland J. Ridenour was the publisher and sole owner of Modern Publishing Company, 231 Fulton Street, New York. Modern Publishing acquired ''Electrician and Mechanic'' and merged it with ''Modern Electrics''. The new magazine, ''Modern Electrics and Mechanics'', was published from January 1914 to June 1914. Gernsback started a new magazine, ''

The 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 pub ...

'', in May 1913. Popular Electricity Publishing of Chicago merged ''Popular Electricity in Plain English'' (founded May 1908) with ''World's Advance'' in September 1913. Last issue of ''Popular Electricity'' is Vol. 6 No. 4 (August 1913), merged with ''World's Advance'', used volume numbers of ''Popular Electricity'' Modern Publishing acquired ''Popular Electricity and World's Advance'' and combined it with ''Modern Electrics and Mechanics'' in July 1914. The new magazine was ''Popular Electricity and Modern Mechanics'' but it soon changed the title to ''Modern Mechanics'' and was ''World's Advance'' by April 1915. The numerous title changes were a topic of discussion in library journals of the time. Libraries would have individual magazines bound into books. A typical size magazine would be bound into volumes every six months, magazine publishers would normally change titles or merge magazines on these volume boundaries. This was not the case with Modern Publishing. The following editorial appeared in the April 1915 ''Bulletin of Bibliography''.

The ''World's Advance'' is a new title in magazinedom, and April 1915, is the initial number. Oh, no, not a new magazine, it is vol. 30, number 4; it was ''Modern Mechanics'' recently, and back of that — but let it tell its own story of absorptions, marriages, serial-cannibalism or whatever you may call its checkered life hitherto. The ''World's Advance'', formerly ''Modern Mechanics'', with which is combined ''Popular Electricity'' and ''The World's Advance'', ''Modern Electrics and Mechanics'', ''Electrician and Mechanic'', is the outgrowth of a number of consolidated magazines. First was ''Popular Electrician'' founded in Lynn, Mass., in 1890, taken over later by ''Electrician and Mechanic'', Boston. This absorbed ''Amateur Work'', and ''Building Craft'' and in January 1914, was itself merged in ''Modern Electrics'' of New York, and called ''Modern Electrics and Mechanics''. Then ''Popular Electricity'' and the ''World's Advance'' of Chicago was combined with it under the name of ''Popular Electricity and Modern Mechanics''. This name being too long ''Modern Mechanics'' was decided upon for the new name, but this being found liable to confusion with a similar periodical alled ''Popular Mechanics'' the name ''World's Advance'' was adopted." Some pedigree! But it's now a capital magazine for those of a mechanical turn of mind, and is profusely illustrated.

''World's Advance'' had a readership of 135,000 "men" by 1915. A notice in a trade publication for advertisers stated, "72% of its readers are over 21 years old and it is exclusively a man's publication without waste circulation among women and children."

''Popular Science Monthly''

''Popular Science Monthly'' was founded in May 1872 by

Edward L. Youmans Edward Livingston Youmans (June 3, 1821 – January 18, 1887) was an American scientific writer, editor, and lecturer and founder of '' Popular Science'' magazine. Early life Youmans was the son of Vincent Youmans and Catherine ( née Scofi ...

. It was a science and technology magazine equivalent to ''

Scientific American ''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it ...

'' or ''

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

''. James McKeen Cattell became the editor in 1900 and the publisher in 1901. Cattell had a background in academics and continued publishing articles for educated readers. By 1915 the readership was declining and publishing a science journal was a financial challenge. In a September 1915 editorial, Cattell related these difficulties to his readers and that the journal had been "transferred" to a group that wanted the name for a general audience magazine. Next month the subscribers would be receive a new journal titled '' Scientific Monthly'' that would continue the academic tradition. ''Scientific Monthly'' was published until 1958 when it was absorbed into ''Science''. The new owners were Henry Fisher, Robert Wilson and Oliver Capen of Modern Publishing. The October 1915 issue was titled ''Popular Science Monthly and World's Advance''. The volume number (Vol. 87, No. 4) was that of ''Popular Science'' but the content was that of ''World's Advance''. The new editor was

Waldemar Kaempffert Waldemar Kaempffert (September 27, 1877 - November 27, 1956) was an American science writer and museum director. Career Waldemar (Bernhard) Kaempffert was born and raised in New York City. He received his Bachelor of Science from the City Coll ...

, a former editor of ''Scientific American'' "The Popular Science Monthly has been bought by the Modern Publishing Company of New York City and consolidated with The World's Advance, formerly Popular Electricity. The two magazines will be merged under the title of The Popular Science Monthly, beginning with the November issue. Waldemar Kaembffert for a longtime editor of the monthly will continue in that position." The new ''Popular Science Monthly'' is continued from ''World's Advance'', old version in now ''Scientific Monthly''. The change in ''Popular Science Monthly'' was dramatic. The old version was a scholarly journal that had eight to ten articles in a 100-page issue. There would be ten to twenty photographs or illustrations. The new version had hundreds of short, easy to read articles with hundreds of illustrations. Editor Kaembffert was writing for "the home craftsman and hobbyist who wanted to know something about the world of science." The circulation doubled in the first year. ''Popular Science Monthly'' was two different magazines for during the last half of 1915 and this presented a dilemma for librarians who needed to have them bound into book volumes. The library journal, ''Bulletin of Bibliography'', printed the conflicting recommendations received from the new and old publishers. The journal editor promised to publish a "list of librarians and book-binders who have gone to

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which en ...

to recuperate."

Title changes

Source for volume and issue numbers: Catalog of Copyright Entries, Volume 9 and 10. January 1914 to December 1915. Volumes 9 is January–December 1914 and volume 10 is January–December 1915.

Covers and pages

Image:Arithmetic of Magnetism and Electricity pg146.png , 1893 Ad for ''Bubier's Popular Electrician'' Image:Electrician and Mechanic Feb 1913 toc.png , Electrician and Mechanic February 1913 Contents Image:Electrician and Mechanic Feb 1913 pg78.png , Electrician and Mechanic February 1913 Image:Electrician and Mechanic Feb 1913 pg125.png , Electrician and Mechanic February 1913 Arm Chair Image:Modern Electrics and Mechanics Apr 1914.jpg , Modern Electrics and Mechanics April 1914 Image:Modern Electrics and Mechanics Apr 1914 toc.png , Modern Electrics and Mechanics April 1914 Image:Popular Science Monthly Sep 1915 cover.png, Popular Science Monthly September 1915 Image:Worlds Advance Jul 1915 Cover.jpg , ''World's Advance'' July 1915 Image:Worlds Advance Jul 1915 toc8.png , ''World's Advance'' July 1915 Contents Image:Worlds Advance Jul 1915 pg1.jpg , ''World's Advance'' July 1915 Image:Worlds Advance Jul 1915 pg34.jpg , ''World's Advance'' July 1915 Image:Worlds Advance Jul 1915 pg43.jpg , ''World's Advance'' July 1915

Publications

''Electrician and Mechanic'' (January–June 1912)
from Harvard University Library on Google Books
''Electrician and Mechanic'' (January–June 1913)
from Harvard University Library on Google Books
''Popular Science Monthly'' May 1872 to September 1915
from Biodiversity Heritage Library
''Modern Mechanics'' and ''World's Advance'' (January–June 1915)
from Prelinger Library on Internet Archive
''World's Advance'' (July–September 1915)
from Prelinger Library on Internet Archive
''Popular Science Monthly'' (January–June 1918)
from New York Public Library on Google Books