Do you have any magazines in your attic that date back to the summer of 1925? If so, I’ve stumbled upon a use for them.

While looking up the history of Redbook magazine, I discovered the 1925 Virtual Newstand. The site describes an ongoing senior class project at the University of West Florida taught by Dr. David M. Earle. Just as the technology of the industrial era contributed to the birth of magazines, now it–first TV, then computer–is causing a slow demise. The students need your 1925 magazines to help them in their work to preserve the knowledge for historical interest.

Among other things, I found that Better Homes and Gardens, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Vogue were around in 1925. Since I grew up with these magazines, it was interesting, for example, to read their history or an old table of contents. I learned that Redbook “began as a prominent literary magazine in 1903” and has managed to stay in print as a woman’s magazine by constantly updating to fit the demographic. The site notes that one thing, however, has stayed the same: the issue of women in 1920–how to be a working mom “while living in a patriarchal society”–exists yet today.

For a bit of fun nostalgia, spend a half hour on this site. And then go clean out that old trunk in your attic that’s been collecting dust. Maybe, you’ll find some old magazines.