George W. Sutton Jr. was brought in to replace Florence M. Osborne. How did that happen? George W. Sutton Jr. (really George W. Sutton III) was the scion of a Long Island family of considerable wealth and influence. His grandfather, George W. Sutton, was a silk trader and importer who bought a twenty acre estate… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 3: Sutton, who?
Tag: Pulp
Secrets of the Mask, part 2: The August 1922 issue
Last week, we saw how Black Mask started and how the first editor, Florence May Osborne, left after two years with the magazine. This week we’ll take a look at one of the issues she edited (August 1922) and see what the quality of the magazine was. The issue we’re reviewing is one issue before… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 2: The August 1922 issue
Secrets of the Mask, part 1- In the beginning
A recent rummage through some boxes turned up two copies of Black Mask, and I started reading them. One was from the thirties, another from the forties. I thought it might be interesting to review a few issues to see the difference in editors as the magazine changed. As I did that, I found some… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 1- In the beginning
Feeling down? Cheer up with free illustration art
A collection of illustration art links. In the “But is it pulp?” department: Glenn Bray’s 800-page book of comic book, pulp magazine, and book covers is available for pre-order Eyes on the stars The pulp magazines were printed on cheap paper, their covers were often colored brightly and done amateurishly. But there’s nothing like those… Continue reading Feeling down? Cheer up with free illustration art
The Story is the Thing: A. H. Bittner
Archie Bittner (1897-1966) worked as editor under Doubleday’s Harry E. Maule on Short Stories and Frontier before going on to edit Munsey’s Argosy in the early 1930s. Then, he put his theories int practice as a writer, writing under the pseudonym Wayne Rogers for the weird menace pulps. He also ghosted several stories for the… Continue reading The Story is the Thing: A. H. Bittner
Ten crimes for your dime: Ten Detective Aces, Feb 1935 (free at Archive.org)
This New Year, I made a resolution to live healthy. That resolution includes a commitment to a regular intake of pulpy goodness. This month’s pick-me-up is a 1930s issue of Ten Detective Aces, a magazine started by Harold Hersey before being bought by A. A. Wyn. Its gimmicks were ten stories every issue, all complete,… Continue reading Ten crimes for your dime: Ten Detective Aces, Feb 1935 (free at Archive.org)
Clayton pulps closing down sale – 1933
An earlier version of this article appeared in the Author and Journalist, August 1933. The finis of the Clayton Publishing Company was written on July 13, 1933, when its more important magazines and titles were disposed of by the bankruptcy court at a public sale, various attempts at reorganization of the company having failed. At… Continue reading Clayton pulps closing down sale – 1933
Love your style, pulp edition
Ranch Romances, launched in 1924, was the first and most successful western/romance title. Someone once said it was western enough to appeal to cowboy fiction lovers, and romantic enough to appeal to women. The formula lasted nearly five decades; RR was the last of the pulps to die when it ceased publication in 1971. Success… Continue reading Love your style, pulp edition
Record maximum readers for a single pulp magazine issue
Given the state of some of the pulps I’ve seen (and bought), I shouldn’t be surprised at just how many people read the pulps. And how badly they treated them. But this has to be the record for a single issue. I believe I can say that the magazine I buy is read by more… Continue reading Record maximum readers for a single pulp magazine issue
Roe Richmond – Western Writer, Professional athlete, Cowboy
Everybody thinks they know what a western is. Frank Gruber, a long time pulp author with a flair for self-promotion, categorized the western into seven categories: In my reading I’ve come across these plots frequently, but such categorization does disservice to writers who stayed away from these tropes. Like Roe Richmond. That may come as… Continue reading Roe Richmond – Western Writer, Professional athlete, Cowboy