The concept behind PopularMechanics Magazine (PM) can be understood from its title. It meant to describe how things worked to people. This is a simple yet powerful philosophy which came at the right time. The founder of PM, Henry H. Windsor, intended for it to be," a magazine of education," for the everyday person who was interested in the rapidly changing world around them.(1)
The audience which read Popular Mechanics from 1937-1939 was very diverse. The magazine included how-to tips and projects for amateurs in a variety of areas at a variety of skill levels. Boys and young men tended to be the ones which would attempt these projects. To try to attract more female reader's, Windsor included jokes, cartoons, and poems with mechanical themes. While many women did read PM, the vast majority of the readership remained male. Many articles applied to common household items or helpful hints, illustrating that the magazine was directed towards the common person.(2)
By looking at the contents of the magazine, several conclusions may be drawn about the reader. Obviously, a regular reader of Popular Mechanics would be interested in technological topics because that is the constant theme. During this time of national strife (the Great Depression) many people began to view technology as a dark figure which had robbed them of their livelihood. PM took a very positive view of technology, describing it as a useful tool which could ensure a brighter future. So, a regular subscriber to PM would agree with this attitude and view technology in a positive light.(3)
The advertising in PM can also tell us about the readers. The most common theme among advertisements was that their product could help make life better. This was probably a good marketing tactic during a time when many people did not feel good about the quality of their lives. The majority of advertisements were for relatively inexpensive household items (oatmeal, medicines, and shaving cream). This says that the general readership was of average or below-average means. There were also many displays for training programs. Young men looking for their first job would pay attention to these programs. Also, these programs held the promise of a better job in the future. These show the nature of the times, with many people either out of work or in low-paying jobs. Therefore, the typical reader of Popular Mechanics would be a young man, of average means, who was interested in technology and optomistic about its future.(3)
In Greenbelt, a reader of PM would be especially inclined to look to technology as a hope for a brighter future. This is because most Greenbelters were of lesser means at the time, and they were very optomistic about the future in order to get through the very rough time at present. The home improvement section of the magazine would not have been very useful to Greenbelters because they were renting their homes and could not alter them. Tips on other topics would have been of interest. For example, the automobile section would be very useful to the first-time car owner. This relationship between car and owner is more closely examined on Robert Shearman's page. Greenbelter's would have read PM both for informative articles and general entertainment purposes.(3)
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