Smithsonian (magazine) Smithsonian (magazine) Smithsonian is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. The history of "Smithsonian" began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of "Life" magazine, was asked by the then-Secretary of the Smithsonian, S. Dillon Ripley, to produce a magazine "about things in which the Smithsonian [Institution] is interested, might be interested or ought to be interested." Thompson would later recall that his philosophy for the new magazine was that it "would stir curiosity in already receptive minds. It would deal with history as it is relevant to
Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series scholarly achievements, and accessions to the collections, began issuing in 1881, with accession and donor information being split off in 1993 as the "Annals of the Smithsonian Institution". The "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge" ceased publication in 1916, followed by the cessation of the "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections" in 1968, and the "Bulletin of the United States National Museum" in 1971. In their place, the Smithsonian Institution began publication of a variety of different series focused on specific areas of scientific or societal study. Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series The Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series is a collection of serial periodical publications