British Juvenile Story Papers and Pocket Libraries Index

Magazine Contents Lists: Page 555

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    Modern Wonder:   (about)
    Modern Wonder was a boy’s magazine that was a cross between the American Boys’ Life or American Boy and Mechanics Illustrated. Early issues measured 16″ by 10½″. Somewhere in the fall of 1937 they became 14″ by 10¼″. There were at least two title changes. In late 1940 it became Modern Wonders and then in March of 1941 it became Modern World. Early covers were brightly colored affairs featuring machines in action. Towards the end covers became monochrome photographs concentrating on military matters. There was also a full color centerfold of a cross section of a machine or some military theme. Interior illustrations were usually black and white.

    The contents of Modern Wonder featured articles on the cutting edge of technology. They also ran short stories and serials that went on for as many as 30 parts. The fiction was all in the action adventure category with a reasonable portion of that being science fiction and fantasy. There were the usual stories about Atlantis, secret advanced weapons, trips into outer space and menacing creatures of various types. Most of the authors are not widely known with the exceptions being John Beynon (“The Space Machine” - issues 1 thru 10) and a series of factual articles set in a fictional framework of space travel by John Russell Fearn (scattered 1937 issues). The last issue probably appeared in 1941. It was most likely a victim of the World War II paper shortage.

    • Publishers:
      • Odhams Press Ltd.; London, England: Modern Wonder.

    Modern Wonder [v1, #3, June 5, 1937] (2d, 16pp, foolscap)
    • 2 · Battle of the Speed Aces · [uncredited] · ar
    • 3 · The Yellow Streak · Gordon Randall · ss; illustrated by John Woods
    • 5 · Looking Back a Thousand Years · Carl Olsson · ar
    • 6 · Mighty Steel Road Across the Sea · [uncredited] · ar
    • 8 · Crack British Loco. Cock o’ the North · [uncredited] · ia
    • 10 · Giant Ocean Greyhound to Rule Atlantic Waves · [uncredited] · ar
    • 11 · The Space Machine [Part 3 of 10] · John Beynon · sl; illustrated by Chester; this part is sub-titled “Martians on Earth”.
      abridged from “Stowaway to Mars”, Passing Show, 1936.
    • 13 · To New York in an Afternoon! · Ritchie Calder · ar
    • 14 · Trapped by Wireless · Gerald Bowman · ss
    • 15 · Science Is News · [uncredited] · cl
    • 16 · A “Dawn Patrol” to Discover Tomorrow’s Weather · [uncredited] · ia

    Modern Wonder [v1, #4, June 12, 1937] (2d, 16pp, foolscap)
    • 2 · Flying on a Beam of Sound · Gordon Randall · ar
    • 3 · Our Fighting Navy · [uncredited] · ss
      adapted from the movie based on the story by Bartimeous.
    • 6 · Trains of the Future · Edwin H. Judd · ar
    • 7 · The Space Machine [Part 4 of 10] · John Beynon · sl; illustrated by Chester; this part is sub-titled “First Men on Mars”.
      abridged from “Stowaway to Mars”, Passing Show, 1936.
    • 8 · Britain’s Air Might · [uncredited] · ia
    • 11 · Miracle Out of Space · [uncredited] · ar
    • 12 · Round the World in 80 Seconds · Keith Rogers · ar
    • 13 · First to the Top! · Gerald Bowman · ss; illustrated by Bryan de Grineau
    • 15 · Science Is News · [uncredited] · cl
    • 16 · The Marsh Buggy - New Amphibian Marvel · [uncredited] · ia

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