
by Rudolph Belarski
The circus is a dangerous place, as this cover from Rudolph Belarski proves. This issue of The Phantom Detective was from December of 1946.

by Rudolph Belarski
The circus is a dangerous place, as this cover from Rudolph Belarski proves. This issue of The Phantom Detective was from December of 1946.

This is from 1951. Unfortunately, the identity of the artist responsible is not known.

by Edward Mortelmans
He was?

by James E. McConnell
“Behind every spy is a woman?” If only that were true!
When I first saw this cover, I assumed it was by Robert McGinnis but then I saw the signature in the bottom right corner and learned that the artist responsible was actually James E. McConnell.
Born in Mexico in 1910 but raised in New York City, the artist Carl Pfeufer studied at the Cooper Union Art School when he was 16 and later continued his studies at the National Academy of Design, Grand Central School of Art, and the Art Students League of New York. He was also an apprentice and student to the impressionist painter, William Starkweather. Up until his death in 1980, Pfeufer was a popular and much-in demand illustrator. Though he spent most of his career in the comic book industry, Pfeufer also did his share of pulp work. Here’s a small sampling of his pulp work, ranging from the late 50s to the early 60s.
Featuring stories of detectives, murder, femme fatales, and tough guys, Thrilling Detective thrilled readers during the pulp era of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Today, the magazine remains highly sought after by collectors. Every cover promised sex or violence or both. Below are just a few of the thrilling covers of Thrilling Detective!

by Gloria Stoll Karn
The murder is bad enough, without adding the insult of reading her diary. Nice shoes, though. This is from 1950. The cover was done by Gloria Stoll Karn, one of the most prominent female artists of the pulp era.
A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Jack Rickard was most famous for his work in the advertising industry and his later work for MAD Magazine. However, in between working on ads and working for MAD, Rickard also did the covers for several pulp magazines and paperback publishers. Below is a small sampling of Jack Rickard’s pulp artwork. I particularly like his cover for The Pagans.