Harmsworth Popular Science was a fortnightly
(14 days) series of magazine publications
forming an encyclopaedic series of science
and technology articles published in the early
years of the 20th century, and completed about
1913.
It was humanist and modernist in tone, and
supported the then-fashionable ideas of eugenics
and free market economics.
Britain (especially Birmingham) was then considered
by the British people to be "the workshop
of the world" and the magazine duly celebrated
British technical and cultural innovation
from Charles Darwin to Guglielmo Marconi.
== Editions ==
There may have been several bound editions
of Harmsworth Popular Science, (probably containing
edited reprints of magazine articles) and
one of them (undated), is in red cloth and
leather completed in seven volumes.
The edition was edited by Arthur Mee and published
in London by the Educational Book Company.Volume
One contained a foreword entitled "The Story
of This Book" which outlines the various groups:
Group 1: The Universe, "The Making of worlds"
which speculates about the place of Earth
in Creation
Group 2: The Earth, "The Earth we live on"
which starts with 'a molten ball of iron...'
Group 3: Life, "Life takes possession" which
is Darwinian in tone
Group 4: Plant Life, "The Earth Alive" which
has a pre-creationist style "The Hand that
made..."
Group 5: Animal Life, "The forerunners of
Man" describes fossils to speculates about
earlier intelligent life forms
Group 6: Man, "Man Appears" speculated about
the origin and evolution of human brains
Group 7: Health, "Man Builds up Strength"
covers sanitation, diet and modern medicine
such as X-ray and contained biographies on
500 scientists and a bibliography of 1000
scientific books.
Group 8: Power, "Man finds Power" covers steam,
and 'new' central generation of electricity
Group 9: Industry, "Man Uses Power" Britain
as the workshop of the world was its theme
Group 10: Commerce, "Man Buys and Sells" and
the dawn of world trade "America sells cotton..."
Group 11: Society, "Man organizes society"
foresees "The Federation of the World"
Group 12: Eugenics "Man Creates The Future"
discredited by Nazi Human breeding programs,
this section is full of hope that "our children
(will pass through) the Gates of Dawn"
== Editors ==
As well as Arthur Mee, the other editors included:
Caleb Williams Saleeby, Fellow of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh, Doctor of medicine,
Scientific author, lecturer at the Royal Institution
Leo Chiozza Money, Member of Parliament (of
GB) Author and political economist
W Beach Thomas, journalist and agricultural
expert
John Derry, journalist and educationalist
(1854-1937)
Edward Wright, writer on philosophy
Gerald Leighton, professor of pathology and
bacteriology at Edinburgh University (1868-1953)
T Thorn Baker, electrical expert, lecturer
at the Royal Institution
Henry Hamilton Fyfe, author and journalist
Ernest A Bryant, author of the natural history
section of The Children's Encyclopædia
Ronald Campbell Macfie, Master of Arts, author
of "Science Matter and Material"
Joseph Horner, author of technical works;
member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
== Gallery
