The Principles of Scientific Management by Fred Taylor: Exposures in print beyond the private printing

This paper documents the publishing exposure of Frederick W. Taylor’s The Principles of Scientific Management subsequent to the February 1911 private printing. In doing so, the paper completes a chronology of the multiple occasions that Taylor’s classic occurred in print. Landmarks in the publishing history of Taylor’s “principles” following the private printing include its appearance in The American Magazine and The Journal of Accountancy. Following these serialized mediums, the trade edition ‐ the most familiar version ‐ was published. These and various other forms of Taylor’s “principles” were basically the same discourse. However, the details of the various occurrences and Taylor’s related personal correspondence proffer glimpses of the personality of the man and of his motives.