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 Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series The Smithsonian Contributions and Studies Series is a collection of serial periodical publications produced by the Smithsonian Institution, detailing advances in various scientific and societal fields to which the Smithsonian Institution has made contributions. The Smithsonian Institution began publishing consolidated compilations of quarto-sized papers in 1848, under the name "Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge". In 1862 octavo-sized papers called "Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections" were added, followed by the monographic "Bulletin of the United States National Museum" in 1875, and the compiled "Proceedings of the United States National Museum" in 1878. "Annual Reports" of Smithsonian Institution administrative and