Crime Poetry

I’ve encountered many poems in the western and general fiction pulps. This was the first one I’ve seen from the crime pulps. The author, C. Wiles Hallock, contributed more than 200 poems to the pulps, with 70 of them appearing in the detective magazines. CRIME CONTAGIONBy C. WILES HALLOCK WELLINGTON WEATHERBY BENDEMEER BLAKEWoke in the… Continue reading Crime Poetry

Harold Q. Masur – Newspaper profile

This was originally published in the Wichita Eagle. Suspense Writer Hits TownMystery Is ‘Why Dunnit’ By BARRY PARISEagle Staff Writer It’s not “who dunnit?” in mystery writing any more it’s “why dunnit?” according to suspense writer Harold Q Masur. Masur, author of Bury Me Deep which sold well over a million copies and was translated… Continue reading Harold Q. Masur – Newspaper profile

Point, Counterpoint: Contemporary opinions of the pulps from 1940

An exchange in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Tribune on the merits of pulps caught my attention recently. The instigator of this exchange was Donald Raub, then a schoolboy attending what used to be Central High School in Scranton, Pa who sent many letters to the editor. The first letter was this screed printed on 15 May,… Continue reading Point, Counterpoint: Contemporary opinions of the pulps from 1940

Ham & Eggs: The successful pulp recipe of Alfred L. Gehri

We live in amazing times. Things previously impossible because they’d cost too much to try are now feasible. Like me buying pulps off EBay and shipping them across the world or diving into the lives of pulp authors by reading old newspapers and journals online.A few weeks ago, I read my first issue of Popular… Continue reading Ham & Eggs: The successful pulp recipe of Alfred L. Gehri

“Reckless Ralph” Cummings: Newspaper profile of a dime novel collector

Taken from the Kansas City Star, December 4, 1931 A Farm Hand and His Dime Novel Collection The Hobby of Ralph Cummings Has Resulted in one of the largest “Paper Back” Libraries in AmericaMany Follow Same Pursuit. Ralph Cummings, farm hand, believes that he owns the largest collection of dime and half-dime novels in New… Continue reading “Reckless Ralph” Cummings: Newspaper profile of a dime novel collector

Stereotyping in the pulps

There are those who believe that the past was uniformly dark. With the pulps, this attitude leads to an unreasoning belief that all pulp authors and editors were biased, that they never challenged any social or cultural norms and tacitly endorsed the biases and prejudices of their times. That this is wrong should be obvious,… Continue reading Stereotyping in the pulps