Classic Photo Magazines

[pagpow]

I'm ready to say good-bye to an accumulation of Pop Photo, Modern Photo, Petersen's Photographic, Shutterbug and others starting in the early 70's. Rather than selling them "on that site" or tossing them, I am looking to see if there is some way to make them available to the RFF community for general use, as the members of this site have greatly contributed to my knowledge and enjoyment.

I'm open to suggestions -- or has all useful information from these sources already been transferred to the web? I noticed that posting of some classic reviews from the older magazines was blocked a few years back under claims of copyright.

Or should I look to the camera specific sites? I use Leica, Canon, and Voigtlander RFs, and primarily Canon and Olympus SLRs.

Thoughts?

pagpow

 

[lawrence]

I have the same problem with my collection of magazines and I've just put some of them on eBay to see if I have any luck there. Being in London, my first thought was to give them to the Photographers Gallery but then discovered that their library has been closed for some time. One suggestion I've had is the National Museum of Photography Film and Television in Bradford but it's too far away for me.

 

[Rey]

I think that these are very important resources. As an example, just try and find old photo mags from the 20's and 30s, very diificult because everyone just tossed them. Libraries and photo clubs will not want them. It's a shame some of them could not be scanned and posted.

 

[CameraQuest]

I'm ready to say good-bye to an accumulation of Pop Photo, Modern Photo, Petersen's Photographic, Shutterbug and others starting in the early 70's. Rather than selling them "on that site" or tossing them, I am looking to see if there is some way to make them available to the RFF community for general use, as the members of this site have greatly contributed to my knowledge and enjoyment.

I'm open to suggestions -- or has all useful information from these sources already been transferred to the web? I noticed that posting of some classic reviews from the older magazines was blocked a few years back under claims of copyright.

Or should I look to the camera specific sites? I use Leica, Canon, and Voigtlander RFs, and primarily Canon and Olympus SLRs.

Thoughts?

pagpow

scanning them and putting them online would most likely be a violation of their copyright, unless you had written permission to do so.

Stephen

 

[amateriat]

This is a toughie...what seems impotant to you and me would be trivial to too many others, alas.

And, yet...I think of Camera Arts, the one magazine that has managed no less than three iterations throughout the 20th century, including its current one. I actually own every issue of its second go-round in the late-80s-early 90s (I think...have to break open the box to be sure of the dates). I treasured every issue, and if someone wanted to archive that second-generation output, I'd gladly offer my issues to the cause (although I'd want them back, reasonably intact.)

I did jettison a fair number of issues of Modern, Pop and Petersen's on account of the sheer volume of copies I had, but kept what I regarded as "key" issues (and inherited a few copies from others, which go as far back as 1966/7). To me, it is important to know what was being published in the mainstream photo mags at the time. And, sometimes, it's simply a hoot to look at the ads. Makes a dreary night all the brighter!


- Barrett

 

[bmattock]

I collect old camera magazines from the 1890's to the 1960's, although I prefer the pre and post-WWII era, up to about 1966 or so. I find that there is great accumulated wisdom to be found in them, along with historical information about photography that is very interesting to me.

 

[lawrence]

I did jettison a fair number of issues of Modern, Pop and Petersen's on account of the sheer volume of copies I had, but kept what I regarded as "key" issues (and inherited a few copies from others, which go as far back as 1966/7).
- Barrett

It looks like I shall be doing the same, sadly, although I will be keeping every copy of the real 'quality stuff' I mentioned in this thread

 

[bmattock]

It looks like I shall be doing the same, sadly, although I will be keeping every copy of the real 'quality stuff' I mentioned in this thread

I have noticed some people on eBay selling adverts that they've cut out of older magazines and matted on cardboard stock. I don't know if or how well they sell, but I do see them, which leads me to believe someone buys them. Just FYI.

 

[dazedgonebye]

If you're concerned about posterity...scan them. You don't have to post them on the Internet and violate copyright laws. Just keep the scans.
You could likely share the scans with individuals here and there without problems and you would have preserved the information. Eventually, the copyright will expire and they can enter the public domain.

Might be a worthwhile project really. If anyone had the time to scan and index.

 

[Seele]

Sorry for coming in late.

I have always found collecting photographic magazines interesting, and have been focussing on (no pun intended) the two US-based darkroom magazines and hope to get complete runs: Darkroom Photography / Camera & Darkroom (which folded in 1995), and the still current Darkroom Technique / Darkroom & Creative Camera Techniques / Photo Techniques USA.

Since they're US publications it is always a bit of a long shot getting them locally, so I depend on eBay a lot but some US sellers do not wish to ship outside the US and if they do, they tend to charge heaps to profit from shipping. But I guess it is part of the deal when collecting complete sets of things!

Too bad the more recent issues of Photo Techniques are not really quite as good: at the newsagents they are still $17.95 a pop!

 

[swoop]

I just toss mine. They usually end up bathroom reading material and passing them on to someone seems way unhygienic.

I do keep the ones with great how to guides for things that catch my interest.

 

[dmr]

I've thrown away sooooo many photo (and other) magazines over the years!

One idea, and I'm not sure of the legality, might be to scan them, in whole or in part, and make them available for those who would find them of interest. IANAL, but IIRC, eventually things like that pass into the public domain.

 

[feenej]

I'd love to see them, if you lived near me (Milwaukee). Photo magazines newer than 1980's make me want to yak.

 

[nikon_sam]

I keep the photo magazines I get but the other stuff I am getting right now will go to my local library's "Book Store" where they resell them for 25 cents each and the money goes to the library...
I have bought old photo mags from there and a few books too..

If you can recycle the old mags that's the best way to go...some if not most of the info still applies today...

 

[pagpow]

I just saw this pop up again after a period of dormancy. I, too, have culled the magazines for hot issues, for me, mostly the ones about extending the limits of film, lenses, and cameras though appropriate mods and alternative processes. Scanning is a daunting task for me -- years of copies of multiple magazines, once kept because they had archival value.

I was hoping that someone out there was more driven to scan and keep. Looks unlikely.

feenej, I'll keep you in mind.