Pulp Magazines were popular culture for nearly seventy years. Their colorful covers beckoned the world weary reader to step into a new vibrant world of action, romance and adventure fiction. Pulp magazines filled the entertainment void for as little as a dime for millions of readers each and every week. Printed on cheap high bulk pulp paper, "The Pulps," bridged the gap between juvenile nickel weeklies and the more expensive glossy magazines and hardbound editions. Stories and titles of magazines varied as much as their readers. Come along with us and drink deep the adventure and excitement of "The Pulps."

The famous "weird menace" pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s are among the rarest and most sought-after publications by collectors. The "Spicy" magazines -- which included Spicy Mystery, Spicy Adventure, Spicy Detective, and others -- published a titilating mix of fantasy, horror, mystery, and suspense, punctuated by episodes of torture, sadism, sex, and other risque elements. Although tame by current standards, and sometimes of dubious literary merit, these publications presented tales which thrilled a sensation-hungry audience. Despite the themes and constraints of the market, writers who would later become famous -- including Hugh B. Cave, E. Hoffman Price, Robert Leslie Bellem, and many more -- were frequent contributors. The February 1937 issue features Bellem, Hugh Speer, Justin Case (Hugh B. Cave), and many others -- plus all the classic "spicy" artwork!

Here for your reading delectation, are 25 outre tales of crime. Since history has proven that there is nothing unusual or unexpected about the human (or inhuman) drive to break the law, it should come as no surprise that the weird, the strange, the supernatural, and the just plain odd often, in fictional form, manifest themselves allayed to the criminal element. Included are: INTRODUCTION, by Shawn Garrett THE WINDOW OF HORRORS, by H.L. Mencken THE FOOTSTEPS ON THE STAIRS, by William J. Wintle THE RÔLE OF THE WEIRD, by Tom Worth THE HAUNTED BURGLAR, by W.C. Morrow VALLEY OF THE STORM KING, by Joseph J. Millard THE MAN IN THE MIRROR, by Lillian B. Hunt SATAN’S FACELESS HENCHMEN, by Steve Fisher BAT MAN, by Victor Rousseau DOUBLE IN DEATH, by Gerald Vance CYANIDE AND OLD LACE, by Emil Petaja THE HOUSE OF FIRE, by Robert Moore Williams THE MAN WHO LOST HIS HEAD, by Thomas Burke DEATH’S BRIGHT HALO, by Robert Leslie Bellem FINISHED BY HAND, by H.B. Hickey THE COUNTERFEITER, by Robert Moore Williams THE ADVENTURE OF GOSNELL, by George T. Wetzell MONKEY ON HIS BACK, by Charles V. De Vet AGREE—OR DIE, by Rufus King DEATH OVER CHICAGO, by Robert Moore Williams HOPE CHEST, by Talmage Powell TUNE ME IN, by Fletcher Flora GRAMP, by Charles V. De Vet POISON PEN, by George T. Wetzel YOU KNOW WILLIE, by Theodore R. Cogswell THE ULTIMATE PREY, by Talmage Powell

John Charters becomes ill and takes on the characteristics of a bat, developing cannibalistic and vampiric features, while being eternally parted between his once human nature and his present animal condition. This tale of metamorphosis mixes Kafkaesque elements with the typical pulp fundamentals that would, later on, inspire the atmosphere and the characteristics of one of the most iconic "bat-inspired" comic book character of all time.Also in the book a restored version of "The Case of the Missing Heir" the very first Bob Kane's dark comic book story in the style that would make Batman a lasting success!

**** Cited in Sheehy and BCL3. The foremost reference in the field, completely revised and updated, and now covering about 600 authors, mainly English-language writers whose work appeared during or since the time of Conan Doyle. The entry for each writer consists of a biography, a bibliography, and a signed critical essay. Living authors were invited to add a comment on their work; many of them accepted, and their remarks are both entertaining and enlightening. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Increasing literacy rates and advanced printing technology gave rise to the pulp magazine in the late 19th century. Affordable, disposable, and commercially in-demand, the fiction magazines remained popular through the mid 20th century, and are now frequently cited by researchers as culturally and historically significant documents. This work is a comprehensive index of American pulp magazines. Entries are organized alphabetically by magazine title, and offer bibliographic data including author, volume/issue numbers, dates of publication, publisher, and a brief categorization. Each entry also includes a helpful list of current library holdings, if any, among American, Canadian, and European libraries.

"Sally the Sleuth is a reprint of a 1930s comic first appearing in pulp novels which were primarily sexual escapades. It was later transformed into a non-sexual crime comic series in the 1950s."--