Cover of the first issue of La Nature, 1873Gaston Tissandier, founder of La NatureLunar Halo and Luminous Cross, drawing of nature. Albert Tissandier. Appeared in La Nature in 1875.
The beginning
From 1873 to 1914, each year's volume started at the beginning of December. The second six-month period began with the first issue in June. Starting in 1915, La Nature's publishing year was brought in sync with the calendar year.
A weekly magazine until the 1920s, it became first fortnightly and then monthly in 1948.
Second World War
During the Second World War, La Nature was published only erratically. The first interruption in publishing lasted from September 15 to December 15, 1939, with only an additional six issues published during all of 1940. 1941 saw 12 issues published, on the 15th of each month. There were other suspensions in publication, such that only 26 issues were published between 1942 and 1945. The magazine returned to its pre-war biweekly schedule in 1945.
Name changes and merger
In 1961, La Nature changed its name to La Nature Science Progrès (loosely Nature Magazine: Advances in Science) then in 1963 to Science Progrès La Nature (Advances in Science: Nature Magazine) before becoming Science Progrès Découverte (Advances in Science Discovered) in 1969. Finally, in 1972, La Nature merged with the scientific magazine La Recherche, which is still in print today.
(in French) Manuel Chemineau : Généalogies et fortunes de LA NATURE. Repérages pour l’étude réflexive d’une revue de vulgarisation scientifique du XIXe siècle. Thesis, University of Vienna 2005