Magazines now on Google Book Search
Recently Google has added magazines to its Book Search service. The entire release from Google can be found at Google’s Official Blog.
The magazines in Book Search are indexed in their entirety and appear to be completely available in their original form with advertisements and all. Access is via a reader “application” which displays the pages as well as allow zooming and navigation.
What Magazines are available?
Although I haven’t yet found a complete list of magazines which are being indexed, some of the more interesting ones that I’ve come across are Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, New York, CIO and Men’s Health. The list if magazines appear to small but hopefully Google is hard at work collecting, scanning and indexing other archives of magazines and hopefully these indexed archives will be made freely available to the public soon.
Screenshot of browsing June 1970 issue of Popular Science
History at your fingertips
One of the most interesting things about Google’s indexing of magazines is that the entire history of the magazine is available so it is possible for example to browse a 1872 issue of Popular Science or you can read about the future of airships (Zeppelins that is) and the opening of the Windsor-Detroit Ambassador bridge with the world’s longest suspension bridge span in the February 1930 issue of Popular Mechanics.
A valuable learning resource
This newly available and indexed resource could become a very valuable tool for research and education purposes. The value in letting student examine past writings in a historical context is immense. To see issues of the day being discussed can give a great historical context and perspective.
I agree, a great new addition to the goodies on offer from Google.
Comment by Graeme | January 29, 2009