David Van Nostrand | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1811-12-05)December 5, 1811 New York, New York |
| Died | June 14, 1886(1886-06-14) (aged 74) New York, New York |
| Occupation | Publisher |
David Van Nostrand (December 5, 1811 – June 14, 1886) was a New York City publisher.
David Van Nostrand was born inNew York City on December 5, 1811.[1] He was educated at Union Hall,Jamaica, New York, and in 1826 entered the publishing house of John P. Haven, who gave him an interest in the firm when he became of age. In 1834 he formed a partnership with William Dwight, but thefinancial crisis of 1837 led to its dissolution. Van Nostrand then accepted an appointment as clerk of accounts and disbursements under CaptainJohn G. Barnard, at that time in charge of the defensive works ofLouisiana andTexas, with headquarters atNew Orleans. While so engaged he devoted attention to the study of scientific and military affairs, and on his return to New York City he began the importation of military books for officers of theU.S. Army, afterward receiving orders from private individuals and from academic institutions for foreign books of science. His place of business was at first at the corner of John Street and Broadway. He founded the firm D. Van Nostrand Company in 1848.
As his trade increased, he began the publication of standard works by American authors on military and scientific subjects. This extension, with the growing demands for books on scientific subjects, led him to move his firm to 23 Murray Street, where he continued until his death. In 1869 he began the publication ofVan Nostrand's Engineering Magazine, a monthly journal, which was devoted to selections from foreign sources, but also contained original papers on railroads, iron work, hydraulics, water reservoirs, sewage works, ventilation and mathematics (for examples).[2] The magazine represented an early entry into theSTEM fields area of publishing. Links to the volumes are given below, where a sample article is listed from each volume.
In 1884 J.C. Derby quotedNicholas Trübner's characterization of Van Nostrand as "a gentleman of extensive and varied information, of genial and attractive character, eminent business capacity ..."[3] He also noted that beyond military titles, Van Nostrand published books byJulius Weisbach on mechanics,James B. Francis on hydraulics,Quincy Gillmore on limes and cement, and bothSquire Whipple andJohn A. Roebling on bridge building. The twelve volume digest of theAmerican Civil War,The Rebellion Record byFrank Moore was published by Van Nostrand. A biography ofNapoleon, authored byAntoine-Henri Jomini, was translated byH. W. Halleck, an associate from New Orleans. He publishedStephen Luce's textbook on seamanship for the U.S. Naval Academy.
James Clerk Maxwell's introduction tokinetic theory in his bookMatter and Motion was first re-printed in theEngineering Magazine and subsequently by Van Nostrand in its own binding.[4]
Van Nostrand was one of the founders of theSt. Nicholas andHolland societies, and was an early member of theCentury andUnion League clubs of New York City.[1]
He died in New York City on June 14, 1886.[1][5]
TheMagazine appeared monthly and carried articles from other publications as well as some written for Van Nostrand. Each issue contained current information: Reports of Engineering Societies, Engineering notes, Iron & Steel notes, Railway notes, Ordnance and Naval, Book notices, and Miscellaneous. Every six months an index was compiled of a completed volume. No table of contents was published for the volumes; rather the index was placed at the head of an assembled volume as seen in these links:
After the death of David Van Nostrand the assets of theEngineering Magazine were purchased byMatthias N. Forney who also acquiredAmerican Railroad Journal. He merged these publications to formThe Railroad and Engineering Journal. That publication, after acquisitions and changes in name, is perpetuated inRailway Age magazine.
The company launched theVan Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia in 1938.[6][7] A similar work that went through several editionsVan Nostrands's Encyclopedia of Chemistry.[8]
Book series published included Anvil Books[9] and The New Illustrated Naturalist series.
In 1968,Litton acquired the D. Van Nostrand Company and Chapman-Reinhold and merged them to form the publisher Van Nostrand-Reinhold.[10] In 1981 ownership passed toInternational Thomson and then in 1999 toWiley.[11]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
