Old FSM mags, who keeps them?

I have books and magazines dating from the 1950's onward. I now keep simple databases of the contents on the computer as I, too, have long forgotten what is in them. Unfortunately, I've only managed to index five or six magazines so far and hardly any books. The mags are the main problem.

The problem with the indexing is that it takes a fair amount of time to do it and the accumulation of material over the decades means that I may never manage to do it all. An earlier index, handwritten before I had a computer, covered only military subjects and occupies eight ring binders.

I sympathise with your impulse to ditch the lot. I sometimes think that much of my reference material must now have been left behind by later research and the Internet and might as well be ditched. I still can't bear to part with it!

Gordon McLaughlin

I have *at least* 10 years of them. I keep them in chronological order on the bottom shelf of one of my bookcases, and truth be told, I never ever refer back to them. Like you, I'm thinking more and more of donating them or maybe just boxing them up.

As soon as you get rid of them, you'll pick up a reissue of some old model and remember that there was an article in one of those old mags on how to scratch build items for the model. If you are like me, you'll go to where the last time you saw those mags and forget that you got rid of them. :-)

I used to, but now what I do is just cut out the articles I like and save those in sheet protectors, in 3-ring binders. Saves lots of space, as there are usually only one or two articles in any one mag that interest me.

Out of about ten years worth of subscription time, I have two four inch binders full of reference matter from FSM...and they aren't full.

I just got rid of about 25 years of FSM, SM and MM, right into the recycling bin.

I never re-read them, I never went back to them, and hauled them around from place to place. I didn't figure I'd want to screw around with eBay, or trying to get rid of them at a book sale.

Toss them. You'll never look back.

E.P.

I usually write on the cover what caught my eye or an interesting article that I need to refer back to.

Yeah I keep them, I'll put a slip of paper on the top issue for each year listing what mag which article is in. My stash goes back about 25 years worth. I have FSM, Scale Auto, Car Modeler, some real oldies.....Model Car Science, Plastic Fantastic, and a few Model Railroader that had some interesting articles in them.

Done that too, but usually I'll give them to a modeler that is interested in doing more than box stock stuff, especialy so if I happen to have two issues of the same.

Mike G.

In article , "Mike G." wrote: if any of you guys are going to toss mags, i will send you postage. don't put them in the trash!

Mine aren't going anywhere for the moment, but I'll keep you in mind! Mike G.

thanks. i intend my library to survive me.

Are you kidding?

My collection weighed *hundreds* of pounds!

It would have cost over $100 to ship them anywhere.

E.P.

If you go to the FSM website you can download a reference list of what articles were in what issue. I have it in a reference book next to my bench, if I need something I look through the book, see if I have it in my library and go pull the issue. Comes in handy, especially when helping fellow modelers who don't have the library I have accumulated. Of course now you can purchase those articles as PDF files for about six bucks each directly from FSM. If anyone is tossing a collection of old aviation or modeling mags, and are within an 8 hour drive of me I'd come pick them up.

that is not excessive.

me too.

I have every issue and I mean every issue since Jan.1984!

I've got all of them - from issue #1. I do use them as my kit collection ranges back to the earlier releases and the articles do serve a useful purpose... still.

Frank Kranick

I have a few that contained something of irreplaceable worth. The rest went to my friend in the Czech Republic.

On the broader topic of saving mags, yes, I do. They're all listed in the database. Originally started in longhand it is now computerised. Presently there are several issues awaiting listing. They then get stored in magazine boxes that I buy at the local comics store. Air International, MAD and SAM get the luxury of clear sleeves.

Bill Banaszak, MFE Sr.

calling Tom Young......;)

7000+ magazines and books, all cataloged and cross referenced in the garage with about five linear ft. to be done in the office. Never moving again so I don't have to worry about it. Contents listed on file cards in fifteen metal file drawers, one for rockets and missiles, two more for vehicles. Complete sets of many including FSM. One or two missing on others such as Air Classics. Issues date back to the 1930s in some cases. The WWII Flying issues, for example, were great with tons of material. Many languages, too. English, French, Czech, Polish, German, Japanese, Russian, Hebrew, Dutch, etc.

One big section of shelving collapsed last year. I picked up a couple of cabinets at great prices and I have started building them. Eventually the entire library will be well protected and easilly accesible.

I subscribe to most of the American magazines, buy most of the British stuff at Borders, all of the European air magazines and British modeling magazines from Berkeley Ace Hardware. Once in a while I get over to Dan Webb's in Oakland to fill holes.

There are two boxes of file cards with complete listings of what's in the library. I bought a povket computer two years ago and still haven't figured out how it works :-(

Anybody that wants to toss books and magazines please put me on the list with the others. Likewise, I have a few crates of duplicate issues from estate sales and the three kind folks who just gave their libraries to me. Drop me a line with your snail mail address and I'll send you a copy of the disposal list.

Tom

Yes, I keep mine. I have all of them since mid 80s.

I have them stored in magazine holders on a shelves in the attic.

Recently I was up there and I paged through several old issues. It was sort of strange seeing some old ads and articles.

I don't have them indexed and I think it would take too much time to do that.

What I have been doing instead is sort of "reverse index". As I'm reading the magazine and see something that applies to one of my unbuilt kits, I make a note of the article and stuff it in the kit's box. That way when I get around to building the kit, I'll know where to look for references.

Peteski

Now *that* is an awesome idea. I'll have to start doing that!