Fun with Vintage Magazines

[Juneaudave]

For awhile, I've been getting a few vintage hunting magazines to haul to the hunting cabin each year off ebay. Most are extremely cheap, and make for fun reading in the evening or on bad weather days (I love the old ads). They also come in many flavors (Outdoor Life 1940s on, Hotrod 1950's on, Western Dime novels, Detective etc). It dawned on me, it would be nice to have a couple in the Tear for those evenings before lights out.

These are the 48 version Outdoor Lifes I just got in for camp in November. They were so cheap, I'll just leave them for the next hunting party in...

[Alfred]

Wow!

I wanna get me one of them new Pontiac woody station wagons in that magazine - That looks cool...Can't wait to put it through its brilliant paces, as per the ad copy!

Actually, if today's cars had 1/2 the personality of those from the 1950's, Detroit probably wouldn't be in 1/2 the mess it is in...It was always interesting to me how my Dad and Uncles would talk about the old unique cars, the '57 Chevy, for example, when today they all look pretty much alike.

AL in Asheville

[doug hodder]

Dave...you gotta be careful on old magazines. There used to be an original hardwood supplier in Denver about a mile from my house, maybe back to the 20's in the original location. Had a wood floor and a wood burning stove in the back with a couple of chairs around it. I used to go in dig through the wood and sit and stare at the old mags they had. Next thing I knew....I was building a boat. Got the idea from a 40's wooden boat mag...

I used to take them loads of cookies at Christmas. In return they let me cherry pick the bunks of quartersawn oak when it came in, and plane it up for me. It was the coolest lumber yard I've ever been in. Doug

[len19070]

I started acquiring old Popular Science/Mechanics and a lot of the old "How to" magazines of the 30's, through the mid 70's about 18-20 years ago.

It all originally started with looking for trailer plans, which by the way you've got to have a lot of know how to build anything from these old magazine plans...a lot of "filling in the blanks". But like anything else it now includes many other topics.

Kind of like "Web Surfing" way before computers.

Any way you can really spend a lot of interesting and enjoyable time going through these old Magazines.

A lot of ideas and a lot of opportunity's, Heck, now that my Sea Monkeys have died I'm thinking of raising Chinchilla's....for Fun and Profit.

Happy Trails

Len

[ajricher]

I started acquiring old Popular Science/Mechanics and a lot of the old "How to" magazines of the 30's, through the mid 70's about 18-20 years ago.

Actually, and on a related note, one thing anyone handy with tools should keep a look-out for is the old "Popular Mechanics Encyclopaedia" published post-WWII.

They are a treasure trove of reprinted articles from the magazines - articles on everything from clock repair to camping to building gun racks to....well you get the point. Nothing on guns - that was never PM's thing anyway - but you want to build an electric car for your offspring there are plans!

Alan

[prohandyman]

Dave
I have a passion for old catalogs, especially fly fishing gear. Here is a few. The Outdoor Life guide is a 1947, the Fly rod for Bass is 1942, the Herters bottom left is 1949, and the Montgomery Wards is 1948.

[Toytaco2]

Dan,

That old Herter's Catalog brings back some great memories. I first discovered them in 1971 and spent hours pouring over their catalog. I got my first backpacking tent from them and a lot of other good stuff. I still have and use regularly a cookbook by George Leonard Herter on sourdough cooking stories and recipes. I wonder what ever happened to Herters?

Mike

[bobhenry]

I started acquiring old Popular Science/Mechanics and a lot of the old "How to" magazines of the 30's, through the mid 70's about 18-20 years ago.

It all originally started with looking for trailer plans, which by the way you've got to have a lot of know how to build anything from these old magazine plans...a lot of "filling in the blanks". But like anything else it now includes many other topics.

Kind of like "Web Surfing" way before computers.

Any way you can really spend a lot of interesting and enjoyable time going through these old Magazines.

A lot of ideas and a lot of opportunity's, Heck, now that my Sea Monkeys have died I'm thinking of raising Chinchilla's....for Fun and Profit.

Happy Trails

Len

I was 5 or 6 and the retired couple next door became sudo grandparents I was over there driving them crazy I am sure all the time. My folk and them became fast friends. J.P. was a retired postal carrier and I think he had a copy of every popular science and popular mechanics that was ever printed. I can remember spending hours and hour looking thru them. I have about 400 at home now , late 50 thru mid seventys. I loved the wordless workshop.

[robertaw]

Heck, now that my Sea Monkeys have died I'm thinking of raising Chinchilla's....for Fun and Profit.
Len

I'd say the minimum age to appreciate this is 40.

[Alfred]

Yeah, and I'm gonna gamble a stamp on Charles Atlas's free book...


They're so eager to please, they can be trained...



AL in Asheville

[len19070]

A guy who's name kept popping up in all the "How to" magazines was Hi Sibley. The editors of Popular Mechanics dubbed him the Dean of do-it-yourself

http://hisibley.com/

Sibley was a regular in these Magazines making plans for everything from Bird Houses to boats.




Happy Trails

Len