PulpFest | Join us in 2014 in Columbus, Ohio for Summer's Great Pulp Convention!

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More Rooms at the Hyatt!

July 11, 2014 / 0 comments

With demand for rooms at the Hyatt Regency Columbus very strong, our host hotel has increased the convention’s block of rooms and decided to extend the special PulpFest nightly room rate of $114 plus tax. This rate includes free wi-fi, a complimentary parking pass with in-out privileges, and superb views of downtown Columbus or Ohio State’s scenic campus from…

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The Mystery and Mastery of John Newton Howitt

July 30, 2014 / 0 comments

John Newton Howitt studied at the Art Students League with George Bridgman and Walter Clark. A devoted landscape painter, his work was sold at fine art galleries in New York City. In 1905 he began to freelance for The New York Herald Tribune, This Week, and other publications. His later markets included Red Book, Woman’s Home…

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Unknown: The Best in Fantasy Fiction

July 29, 2014 / 0 comments

On Saturday, August 9th, at 8 PM, celebrate the 75th anniversary of the publication considered the best fantasy magazine of all time, Street & Smith’s Unknown. Join acclaimed lecturer on the history of pulp magazines, Professor Tom Krabacher of California State University, Sacramento; commentator Walker Martin, who writes about pulp collecting on Pulpmags and Mystery*File; and Professor Garyn G. Roberts, editor of The Prentice Hall Anthology…

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80 Years of Terror!

July 28, 2014 / 0 comments

Back in the days of bread lines and hobo jungles, millions of readers found escapist thrills in the pages of cheaply produced magazines printed on rough pulpwood paper. Pulp magazines catered to every imaginable reading taste from detective yarns to pirate stories, from jungle adventures to science fiction, from sports stories to romance tales. But the…

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The Golden Age of Astounding Science Fiction

July 27, 2014 / 0 comments

When John W. Campbell became editor of Astounding Stories, he began working to create a science-fiction magazine for mature readers. Writers, both new and old, began to respond: Lester Del Rey with “The Faithful” and “Helen O’Loy;” Jack Williamson with “The Legion of Time;” and L. Ron Hubbard with “The Tramp.” Campbell himself joined in with “Who Goes…

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Pulp Promos, Part Two

July 27, 2014 / 0 comments

One of the most popular presentations at PulpFest 2013 was Chris Kalb’s discussion of hero pulp premiums. As reported by Sam Maronie, “Graphic designer Chris Kalb presented a dynamite presentation Saturday night on pulp premiums—those little geegaws that readers received for mailing away coupons and a dime to the pulp publishers.” How did pulp magazine publishers keep readers…

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A Feast of Farmer

July 26, 2014 / 0 comments

Although noted for his “pioneering use of sexual and religious themes,” Philip José Farmer was, in short, a pulp writer. While most people don’t think of the pulps when they hear Farmer’s name, he began his career selling stories to pulps such as Adventure, Startling Stories, and Thrilling Wonder Stories. In fact he sold over fifteen stories to…

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Startling Stories from First to Last

July 25, 2014 / 1 comment

Ned Pines’ Thrilling Group entered the science-fiction pulp market after purchasing Wonder Stories from Hugo Gernsback. Early in 1938, editor Mort Weisinger asked his readers for suggestions concerning a companion to the rechristened Thrilling Wonder Stories. The result of Weisinger’s poll was Startling Stories, a new pulp that debuted at the end of 1938. Startling…

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Thanks to Our Sponsor

July 25, 2014 / 0 comments

As we get ready for this year’s “Great American Pulp Con,” we’d like to take a moment to thank one of the sponsors of our website, Pure Costumes, the most family friendly Halloween costumes store online! Whether you’re planning your next themed party or looking for an exceptional costume for Halloween, Pure Costumes is sure to have the unique…

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Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

July 24, 2014 / 0 comments

Inspired by the success of its two cliffhanger serials featuring Olympic swimming champion Larry “Buster” Crabbe as comic-strip hero Flash Gordon, Universal Pictures in 1938 licensed the character of futuristic firebrand Buck Rogers. Originally named Anthony Rogers by creator Philip Francis Nowlan, he first appeared in “Armageddon 2419 A.D.”, a 1928 short novel written for…

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The Farmerian Vision: Pulp Meets Science Fiction

July 23, 2014 / 0 comments

In his introduction to The Worlds of Philip José Farmer: Voyages to Strange Days, editor Michael Croteau writes, “A child of the Golden Age of Science Fiction, Farmer wrote many of the same types of stories as his contemporaries during the last half of the twentieth century: tales of space exploration, alien planets, fantastic journeys,…

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