The Classic Era of American Pulp MagazinesThe period between the World Wars—the era of sexual liberation, Prohibition, the rise of organized crime, and the Great Depression—was also the classic era of American pulp magazines, the subject of this fascinating volume. Pulps, with their lurid color covers depicting the thrills of sex and violence, and with stories to match inside, fuelled America’s dreams—and nightmares. For a few cents they offered everything young men wanted: sex, action, adventure. But they also fostered the talents of some of the greatest popular writers of the century—Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and Dashiell Hammett, among others—and virtually invented the genres of science fiction and hard-boiled crime. From the cheap thrills of the “hot” and “spicy” pulps and the sexual sadism of the “shudder” pulps to the weird worlds of the fantasy, sci-fi, and horror pulps, this book displays their art and tells their history, capturing the original magazines in all their sleazy, sensational glory. |
Contents
FOREWORD | 7 |
ALL UNDRESSED AND SOMEWHERE TO | 25 |
THE COMING OF THE HARDBOILED DICKS | 51 |
Copyright | |
7 other sections not shown
Common terms and phrases
adventure Amazing Stories appeared authors beautiful became Black Mask British pulp career classic Clayton comic companion pulp contributed contributors cover art cover artist Crime Stories Detective Story Magazine editor Edmond Hamilton Famous Fantastic Mysteries fantasy featured female Frank Gangster genre girls H. J. Ward H. P. Lovecraft Hank Janson hardboiled Hollywood hot pulps illustrated inside interior artwork issue Jack John July June Killer later launched LEFT March Nick Carter Nights Norman Saunders Novelet novels nude OPPOSITE paperback Paul pen-names Planet Popular Publications prolific pulp magazines pulp publishers Ray Cummings readers RIGHT Robert Leslie Bellem Rogers romance Rudolph Belarski sci-fi pulp Science Fiction Seabury Quinn sexual short stories shudder pulps Snappy Stories Spicy Detective Steeger Strange Street & Smith success Swan talent Terror THRILLING PUBLICATION Thrilling Wonder Stories titles Virgil Finlay Weird Weird Tales women World writers wrote yarns York young