This original issue of Scientific American dates to March 25, 1911, Volume CIV, Number 12, and carries a striking cover photograph showing the interior machinery of the submersible Kobben, built for the Norwegian Navy. The image documents the thrust bearings, electric motors, and gasoline engines before the rear section was sealed. Scientific American was founded in 1845 and by 1911 operated as a weekly journal, making each surviving issue a primary document of early 20th-century engineering. The Kobben was constructed by the Electric Boat Company, the same firm that built early U.S. Navy submarines, giving this issue direct relevance to transatlantic naval history. The cover is clean with moderate toning and wear consistent with a Good grade. Interior pages retain legibility throughout. Period advertisements include American Telephone and Telegraph and Bauer Chemical Company, adding social history depth beyond the military subject matter.