A richly illustrated cultural history of the midcentury pulp paperback "There is real hope for a culture that makes it as easy to buy a book as it does a pack of cigarettes."—a civic leader quoted in a New American Library ad (1951) American Pulp tells the story of the midcentury golden age of pulp paperbacks and how they brought modernism to Main Street, democratized literature and ideas, spurred social mobility, and helped readers fashion new identities. Drawing on extensive original research, Paula Rabinowitz unearths the far-reaching political, social, and aesthetic impact of the pulps between the late 1930s and early 1960s. Published in vast numbers of titles, available everywhere, and sometimes selling in the millions, pulps were throwaway objects accessible to anyone with a quarter. Conventionally associated with romance, crime, and science fiction, the pulps in fact came in every genre and subject. American Pulp tells how these books ingeniously repackaged highbrow fiction and nonfiction for a mass audience, drawing in readers of every kind with promises of entertainment, enlightenment, and titillation. Focusing on important episodes in pulp history, Rabinowitz looks at the wide-ranging effects of free paperbacks distributed to World War II servicemen and women; how pulps prompted important censorship and First Amendment cases; how some gay women read pulp lesbian novels as how-to-dress manuals; the unlikely appearance in pulp science fiction of early representations of the Holocaust; how writers and artists appropriated pulp as a literary and visual style; and much more. Examining their often-lurid packaging as well as their content, American Pulp is richly illustrated with reproductions of dozens of pulp paperback covers, many in color. A fascinating cultural history, American Pulp will change the way we look at these ephemeral yet enduringly intriguing books.

Dell paperbacks accounted for nearly 20 percent of the paperbacks published between 1942 and 1962--a popular cultural phenomenon worthy of historical recognition. Putting Dell on the Map is an objective appraisal, rather than a court history of this major mass-market publisher. Early Dell books emphasized genre fiction--mysteries, romances, and westerns. Later the company published an important line of First Editions, which included the writings of authors such as Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., John D. MacDonald, Richard Jessup, and Robert Penn Warren. Dell also expanded its reprint efforts with Laurel Editions which emphasized quality reprints. In addition to their widespread popularity, Dell paperbacks are notable for their aesthetics. Dell's cover artwork alone spans a wide range of commercial art style from color airbrush front covers and distinctive back cover maps, to pulp and then neo-realist illustrations.

Paperback Quarterly, Fall 1982, Volume 5 Number 3, contains: "Remembering Ellery Queen," by Angela Andrews, "The Paperback Hall of Fame of Miscellaneous Curiosities, Part II: Cover/Printing Variations," by Daniel G. Roberts, "Vardis Fisher and His Books," by M. C. Hill, "Reprints/Reprints: The Hound of the Baskervilles," by Bill Henderson, "The Paperback Originals of Philip K. Dick," by Don Z. Block and "More on P. K. Dick," by Shawn Loudermilk.

Brown (1906-1972) was a popular and respected author of more than 20 mysteries and science fiction novels (The Fabulous Clipjoint, won the 1948 Edgar Award for best mystery novel). This study looks closely at his work and chronicles his unusual life. Paper edition (unseen), $16.95. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Despite efforts of contemporary reformers to curb the availability of dime novels, series books, and paperbacks, Pioneers, Passionate Ladies, and Private Eyes reveals how many readers used them as means of resistance and how fictional characters became models for self-empowerment. These literary genres, whose value has long been underestimated, provide fascinating insight into the formation of American popular culture and identity. Through these mass-produced, widely read books, Deadwood Dick, Old Sleuth, and Jessie James became popular heroes that fed the public’s imagination for the last western frontier, detective tales, and the myth of the outlaw. Women, particularly those who were poor and endured hard lives, used the literature as means of escape from the social, economic, and cultural suppression they experienced in the nineteenth century. In addition to the insight this book provides into texts such as “The Bride of the Tomb,” the Nick Carter Series, and Edward Stratemeyer’s rendition of the Lizzie Borden case, readers will find interesting information about: the roles of illustrations and covers in consumer culture Bowling Green’s endeavor to digitize paperback and pulp magazine covers bibliographical problems in collecting and controlling series books the effects of mass market fiction on young girls Louisa May Alcott’s pseudonym and authorship of three dime novels special collections competition among publishers A collection of work presented at a symposium held by the Library of Congress, Pioneers, Passionate Ladies, and Private Eyes makes an outstanding contribution to redefining the role of popular fiction in American life.

A world list of books in the English language.