Vintage Magazines Free Online to Read – Page 2

American Humor & Show Biz Magazine Variety

1919-1923

U.S. – Various publishers

Here is a selection of American humorous magazines from around 1920, including some with show business or celebrity themes. Humor magazines include ‘Capt. Billy’s Whiz Bang, ‘Cap’n Joey’s Jazza Ka Jazza’, and ‘Hot Dog’. Show biz-themed magazines include ‘The Tatler’ and ‘Broadway Brevities.’ Old humor magazines online.

Chatterbox Magazine

1872-1923

London, UK: Wells, Gardner, Darton

Chatterbox was founded in 1866 by British clergyman John Erskine Clarke as a weekly ‘paper’ for children of both genders at around their pre-teens. Clarke edited Chatterbox until 1902, and publication continued until 1955. Each issued contains a mix of short stories, serialized novels, and nonfiction pieces. Issues also contained numerous drawn illustrations. – Info from Victorian Voices.net. Read old Chatterbox magazines online free.

Movie Fan Magazine Collection

Magazine Variety 1912-1923

Various publishers

This collection of early fan magazines includes Screenland, Movie Pictorial, Photo-Play World, Close-Up, New Zealand Theatre & Motion Picture, Film Fun, Movie Weekly, and other titles. Vintage movie magazines pdf.

Punch Magazine

1841-1928

London, UK

Punch, or ‘The London Charivari’ was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and wood-engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 1850s, when it helped to coin the term “cartoon” in its modern sense as a humorous illustration. After the 1940s, when its circulation peaked, it went into a long decline, closing in 1992.

Uncle Remus’s Magazine

1907-1912

Atlanta: Sunny South Publishing

“Typical of the South. National in its Scope”. Read old Uncle Remus’s magazines.

American Motorist

Vols 1,2,4,5,8,9,10,11,12,13,14

Vols 6,7,8,9,10,13,14,15,16

Washington, DC

These sets contain all volumes from 1909 to 1924 except Vol. 3 (1911).
“Magazine published by major membership organization for drivers (American Automobile Association); contains many ads as well as articles chronicling the growth of the automobile industry. Each issue provides copious additional information on the building of roads, tourism, touring, and tourist camps, exemplary motorists and good driving skills, as well as other related topics.” – Library of Congress American Memory site.

The Motorcycle Illustrated Magazine

Vol 3 (1908) – Vol 18 (1922)

New York

“Devoted to the Development of Motorcycling in America”.

National Geographic Magazine

National Geographic Magazine Website

Magazines 1888-2013 With Index – at Century Past Page

Washington DC: National Geographic

““National Geographic Magazine, the flagship magazine of the National Geographic Society, chronicles exploration and adventure, as well as changes that impact life on Earth. Editorial coverage encompasses people and places of the world, with an emphasis on human involvement in a changing universe. Major topics include culture, nature, geography, ecology, science and technology.” – National Geographic Magazine.

Outdoor Life Magazine

1898-1925 at Internet Archive (Black & White)

Denver, Colorado: Bonnier

Launched in 1898 in Denver, founder J.A. McGuire intended the magazine for ‘outdoorsmen’, which was generally understood then as men who enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Outing. An Illustrated Monthly Magazine of Recreation

Vol 3 (1883) – Vol 82 (1923)

Boston

A late 19th- and early 20th-century American magazine covering a variety of sporting activities. It began publication in 1882 as the Wheelman “an illustrated magazine of cycling literature and news” and had four title changes before ceasing publication in 1923. It was initially published for bicycling enthusiasts by the owner of the Pope Co., a bicycle manufacturer, but soon broadened its subject matter. -from info in Wikipedia.

Pan American Magazine

Vol 6 (1908) – Vol 40 (1927)

Washington, D.C.

The Pan-American Magazine and New World Review was a monthly that was founded in 1900 and edited by W. W. Razor in London. It contained economic news and travel articles about South and Central America.

Popular Mechanics Magazine

Popular Mechanics Magazine Website

Vol 6 (1904)

1905-1917; 1921-2005

1918-1920

100+ issues from 1906-2016

Chicago

“Popular Mechanics magazine is for people who have a passion to know how things work. It’s about how the latest advances in science and technology will impact your home, your car, consumer electronics, computers, even your health.” – Popular Mechanics Magazine.

Popular Science Magazine

Popular Science Magazine Website

Popular Science Magazine Free Download PDF – 1872-2009

Some issues from 2015 & Various Years

U.S.

“Popular Science magazine is one of the nation’s oldest and most influential magazines on trends in the scientific world. It provides a way for you to stay updated on the newest technology, inventions, and theories that affect our world today. Popular Science magazine also has many practical and insightful news stories that every household can use.” – Popular Science.

Scientific American Magazine

Scientific American Magazine Website

Scientific American Magazine PDF – 1846-1922 (Hathitrust)

Scientific American Magazine PDF – 1845-1909 (Internet Archive)

New York

“As the oldest continuously published magazine in the country, Scientific American magazine pdf has been reporting on the latest breakthroughs in all areas of science since 1845. Respected and influential, it is known for making cutting-edge information accessible to the educated reader. From the latest in alternative energy technology to groundbreaking medical advances, the magazine explores and explains innovative developments, including what they mean to you.” – Scientific American Magazine PDF.

American Review of Reviews

Vol 2 (1890) – Vol 15 (1897)

New York

Known at various times as the American Monthly Review of Reviews and Review of Reviews, but not to be confused with its British counterpart, also entitled Review of Reviews. According to a profile in Wikipedia, the American Review of Reviews “…represented the views and concerns of participants in the trans-Atlantic culture of progressive reform…”, and is “…one of the best primary sources on American reform between 1890 and 1920, providing not only a panoramic view of the range of reformers’ interests, but also the ties between British and American progressives.” Vintage American Review of Reviews archive pdf.

The American Mercury

1924-1960

New York

An American magazine published from 1924 to 1981; this vintage online magazine has issues to read free through the 1950s. It was founded as the brainchild of H. L. Mencken and drama critic George Jean Nathan. The magazine featured writing by some of the most important writers in the United States through the 1920s and 1930s. After a change in ownership in the 1940s, the magazine attracted conservative writers. A second change in ownership a decade later turned the magazine into a virulently anti-Semitic publication. It was published monthly in New York City. The magazine went out of business in 1981, having spent the last 25 years of its existence in decline and controversy.” – Wikipedia.

DeBow’s Review

Vol 1 (Old series) – Vol 7 (New Series) (1846-1869)

New Orleans

DeBow’s Review was an important and influential magazine of the southern U.S. “Prior to the American Civil War of 1861-1865, the journal contained everything from agricultural reports, statistical data, and economic analysis to literature, political opinion, and commentary. The magazine took an increasingly pro-Southern and eventually secessionist perspective in the late 1850s and early 1860s. It defended slavery in response to abolitionism, published an article in the 1850s that urged the South to resume the African slave trade, and advocated southern nationalism as the Civil War approached.” – Wikipedia. Vintage DeBow’s Review magazines online to read free.

Niles’ Weekly Register

Vol 1 (1811) – Vol 75 (1849)

Baltimore, MD

“Containing political, political, historical, geographical, scientifical, statistical, economical, and biographical documents, essays and facts; together with notices of the arts and manufactures, and a record of the events of the times.”
Vols 5, 7-9, 15-16, 23, 38 and 43 contain supplements.
Hezekiah Niles (1777-1839) was the editor until 1836, when he was succeeded by his son, William Ogden Niles. Jeremiah Hughes bought the Register in 1839 and edited it until it was discontinued in 1849.

“… in the first half of the 19th century, the Register was as well-known as the New York Times and Washington Post are known today. From 1811 to 1849, it was the principal window through which many Americans looked out on their country and the world. The scope of the work was immense, its circulation was large (the largest in the United States, by some accounts) … ” – W.H. Earle, “Niles Register, 1811-1849: Window on the World” Website (defunct). Old Niles Weekly Register magazines archive.

Review of Reviews

New York

See the American Review of Reviews above on this page. Vintage Review of Reviews magazines online to read.

Read More Old Magazines Online

From Great Britain

Westminster Review (1824 -1914)

The American Boy Magazine

1903-1940

Detroit: Sprague Publishing

“A mainly fiction-oriented juvenile magazine, roughly equivalent to Britain’s The Boy’s Own Paper. Originally a Boy Scout magazine; absorbed The Youth’s Companion from October 1929.”. Vintage American Boy magazines free online.

St. Nicholas

Vol 1 (1874) – Vol 53 (1926)

New York

“One of the best and most popular magazines for young people. Includes well-illustrated short stories, series and articles on biography, history and travel, outdoor life and nature study. The articles are almost always interesting, wholesome and well written. Even the special pages of pictures, rhymes and short stories for small children are above the average merit of most similar attempts.” -F. K. Walter, Periodicals for the Small Library, ALA 1918. Old St. Nicholas magazines to download.

Youth Magazine Variety

1877-1970

Various Publishers

A variety of pdf old magazines for boys and a few for girls. Titles include: Eagle, Diamond Dick Jr., Tip Top Weekly, Chums, American Boy, Work and Win, The Modern Boy, Frank Reade Library, Beadle’s Frontier Series, Happy Days, Boy’s Cinema, Child Life, Calling All Girls, Boys’ Own Paper, The Girl’s Own Paper and Woman’s Magazine, American Girl.

Collection of 19th Century British Periodicals

438 Items; ca. 1806-1899

This free online collection of vintage magazines at HathiTrust contains long runs of a number of 19th Century periodicals, including a few, like “The Gentleman’s Magazine”, that also have individual entries on this page.

Collection of Historic Railroad Periodicals

2,300 Items; ca. 1880-1980

This free online vintage magazine collection at HathiTrust contains numerous issues from a variety of railroad periodicals as well as government reports, books, and other publications.

Detective & Mystery Magazine Collection

1905-1958

U.S. – Various publishers

This popular collection contains over 500 issues of old magazines to read online. The majority are from the 1930s through the early 1950s, but there are also issues from the 19th century up through 2013. Some titles: Famous Detective Stories, The Phantom Detective, Spicy Detective Stories, The Armchair Detective, Popular Detective, Dime Detective Magazine, Black Mask Detective, Thrilling Detective, 5 Detective Novels, True Detective Mysteries Magazine, New Detective, Dime Detective Magazine PDF, Hollywood Detective, Strange Detective Mysteries, Ten Detective Aces, Private Detective Stories, Startling Detective Adventures, 10-Story Detective, Front Page Detective, Dorcas Dene Detective, Bulldog Drummond, Crack Detective and Mystery, Clues, New Nick Carter Weekly, and more titles.

Miscellaneous Pulp Fantasy

1937-1954

U.S.

A collection of various titles of old fantasy magazines free online, mostly from the mid-20th century, including these titles and more: Beyond Fantasy Fiction, 10 Story Fantasy, Avon Fantasy Reader, A. Merritt’s Fantasy Magazine, Fantasy Tales, Frank Frazetta Fantasy Illustrated (1999), Fantasynopsis. Vintage pulp fantasy magazines pdf.

Modern Man

1908-1915

London: Modern Man

British. “A weekly journal of masculine interest.” In 1914 the name changed to “Modern Life”. Download these old magazines free.

Radio Periodicals – Collection

ca. 1910-1961

About 300 issues of old magazines online for radio listeners and for companies in the business. Titles include: Radio Stars, Broadcasting, Radio Mirror, Radio Broadcast, Radio Revue for the Listener, Talking Machine World, What’s On the Air.

Sports Magazines Variety

1905-1958

Various Publishers

A number of different vintage sports magazines pdf, including Popular Sports, Ten-Story Sports, Complete Sports, thrilling Sports, Super Sports, Fight Stories, Exciting Football, All-American Football, Motor Boating, Body Builder, Basketball Stories, Baseball Digest, Physical Culture, Official Wrestling.

More Old Magazines Online Free

From Great Britain

Country Life (1897 – 1927)

English Illustrated Magazine (1883-1913)

Spectator (1828-1928)

Spectator (2015-2016)

The Englishwoman’s Domestic Magazine (1853-1863)

The Strand Magazine (1891-1928)

Westminster Review (1824 -1914)

Wide World Magazine (1898-1923)

From the United States

Better Homes and Gardens (1940-1963)

The Ladies’ Companion (1834-1844)

McCall’s (1897-1961)

McClure’s (1893-1928)

Pictorial Review (1899-1928)

Woman’s Home Companion (1903-1928)