Fred H. Colvin
Fred Herbert Colvin was an American machinist, technical journalist, author, and editor. He wrote, co-wrote, edited, or co-edited many periodical articles, handbooks, and textbooks related to engineering, machining, and manufacturing. His autobiography, Sixty Years with Men and Machines, provides a thorough and colloquial look into the decades of 1880 to 1950, giving insight into the culture of the Machine Age.
Overview of career
Over the years, Colvin worked on both Alexander Luchars's journal Machinery and John A. Hill's journal American Machinist. He came to the Hill Publishing Company in 1907 to work on the American Machinist, and in the subsequent decades, besides his work on the journal, he authored or coauthored dozens of McGraw-Hill monographs, textbooks, and reference books in the field of machining. His principal coauthor was Frank A. Stanley; their first book series together was the "Hill Kink Books" series of 1908, a collection of handy, practical advice for the machinist on the shop floor.From 1908 to 1945, Colvin and Stanley coedited eight editions of American Machinists' Handbook, a McGraw-Hill reference book similar to Industrial Press's Machinery's Handbook.
Colvin was retired and in his 70s when World War II started, but he came out of retirement in order to help with the war production effort.
Colvin was the 1942 recipient of the Worcester Reed Warner Medal. In 1944 the Stevens Institute of Technology awarded him an honorary M.E. degree for his life's work in advancing the field.
Near the end of his life, Colvin worked on a history of the American machine tool industry, but he died before finishing.