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The Future Then: Fascinating Art & Predictions from 145 Years of Popular Science
To commemorate the 145th anniversary of Popular Science , this gorgeous, full-color, fun, and lively collection of retro covers from the magazine’s archives explores all those far-flung inventions that never quite made it off the drawing board—from flying cars to personal jet packs—and tracks the evolution of those innovations that did.
A lot has happened since 1872, the first year that Popular Science hit the newsstand. From the introduction of the automobile in 1879 to the dropping of the A-bomb in 1945, from the first time a cell phone rang in 1973 to the first flyby of Pluto in 2015, Popular Science was there and chronicled it all.
The Future Then steps you through this illustrious history of scientific and technological breakthroughs, diving deep into the magazine’s archives to share more than 400 fascinating covers. Organized by decade, each chapter opens with a discussion of the era’s major advancements, then launches into a selection of the decade’s most compelling covers—each accompanied by the fascinating story of the featured technology. With special breakouts on the beloved artists behind the charming illustrations and clever insights into how the past century’s near misses led us to true innovation gold, The Future Then is your first-class ticket on a ride to the retrofuture.
A lot has happened since 1872, the first year that Popular Science hit the newsstand. From the introduction of the automobile in 1879 to the dropping of the A-bomb in 1945, from the first time a cell phone rang in 1973 to the first flyby of Pluto in 2015, Popular Science was there and chronicled it all.
The Future Then steps you through this illustrious history of scientific and technological breakthroughs, diving deep into the magazine’s archives to share more than 400 fascinating covers. Organized by decade, each chapter opens with a discussion of the era’s major advancements, then launches into a selection of the decade’s most compelling covers—each accompanied by the fascinating story of the featured technology. With special breakouts on the beloved artists behind the charming illustrations and clever insights into how the past century’s near misses led us to true innovation gold, The Future Then is your first-class ticket on a ride to the retrofuture.
- GenresNonfictionScienceArt
304 pages, Hardcover
Published July 10, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 10, 2021
Four and a half stars.
The magazine Popular Mechanics has been published since 1872 and its legacy is impressive, so just by showing some of the many illustrations in the almost century and a half of its existence this book does the job. Thus, the success of the book is based on the evocativeness of its covers, illustrating the corresponding "prediction" or state-of-the-art technology. This is an aspect that this magazine has apparently always taken care of and, as can be seen, have been made by great illustrators: Ray Pioch, Reynold Brown, Pierre Mion and many others.
The quality of the edition is very good. The chapters are divided into decades and the most interesting thing is to appreciate these ideas about science and technology. Some that in perspective look crazy and others that turn out to be a success of foresight, but all of which are currently a retro-futuristic delight. I also have to say that the comments on the covers are intended to be ironic but sometimes they are a bit silly.
The magazine Popular Mechanics has been published since 1872 and its legacy is impressive, so just by showing some of the many illustrations in the almost century and a half of its existence this book does the job. Thus, the success of the book is based on the evocativeness of its covers, illustrating the corresponding "prediction" or state-of-the-art technology. This is an aspect that this magazine has apparently always taken care of and, as can be seen, have been made by great illustrators: Ray Pioch, Reynold Brown, Pierre Mion and many others.
The quality of the edition is very good. The chapters are divided into decades and the most interesting thing is to appreciate these ideas about science and technology. Some that in perspective look crazy and others that turn out to be a success of foresight, but all of which are currently a retro-futuristic delight. I also have to say that the comments on the covers are intended to be ironic but sometimes they are a bit silly.
February 19, 2019
An inspiring look at what the past thought our present would look like and what we now think our future is going to be. The early decades of Popular Science I find incredibly intriguing.
November 12, 2018
B&N: fun book, looking at potential future tech as featured in PopSci and seeing how it turned out (or not). I remembered covers featured here, ones I read at my Grandpa Larry’s, and which fascinated me.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews