Scientifics Direct, Inc

Company profile

Scientifics Direct, Inc company profile

In 1942, Norman Edmund searched diligently through mail-order advertisements to find a specific lens required to feed his hobby. He was an amateur photographer, and it was difficult to find optics to support this pastime. What he learned from that experience prompted him to place his own ads, offering specialty lenses in a photography magazine. Almost immediately, other hobbyists looking for "hard to find" optics starting sending in orders and the Edmund Salvage Company was born. Business boomed in the years following World War II. The military provided an endless source for quality, surplus optics. The breath of product and ample inventory of specialty optical items were highly sought-after by science enthusiasts. To advertise new items, Norman started mailing a monthly newsletter to his customers – the foundation for the Edmund Scientifics catalog.