Let’s Go Country With The Pulps

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

With the Fourth of July just a few days away, let’s celebrate the American countryside with the pulps! From the early days of the pulps, life in rural America has been a favorite subject. Here are a few portrayals of that life, courtesy of some of the best artists and illustrators to work in the pulp industry!

by James Meese

by Barye Phillips

by Emmett Watson

by George Gross

by Hans Helweg

by James Avati

by Julian Paul

by Paul Rader

by Rafael DeSoto

by Raymond Johnson

by Robert Bonfils

by Robert Maguire

by Robert McGinnis

by Rudy Nappi

by Sam Cherry

by Samson Pollen

by Saul Levine

by Stanley Zuckerberg

by Victor Kalin

by Walter Popp

Artwork of the Day: Wolf Trap Blonde (by George Gross)

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

by George Gross

This is from 1949. Back then, you could buy an exciting paperback novel for only twenty-five cents! The cover was done by George Gross, who has been featured many times on site in the past and who will undoubtedly be featured many times in the future.

The Covers of Lariat

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

Running from 1925 to 1951, Lariat was one of the many western magazines of the pulp era. At the time, it published stories and novellas about the men and the women who conquered the old west. Today, issues are sought by collectors who appreciate the magazine’s tough, colorful, and often violent covers. Some of the best artists of the pulp era did covers for Lariat.

Below is just a sampling of the covers of Lariat. Where known, the artists have been credited:

*November 1943 by Allen Gustav Anderson*

*September, 1948 by Allen Gustav Anderson*

Artwork of the Day: Fight Stories (by George Gross)

Posted on March 17, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

by George Gross

“One fist was Irish!”

And a happy St. Patrick’s Day to us all! Hopefully, the Irish fist is the one knocking the other boxer out of the ring. I would be disappointed otherwise.

Fight Stories was the first fiction magazine to be devoted to just one sport, in this case boxing. The magazine started in 1928 and it was popular enough to run into the early 50s. This issue is from 1949 and features a cover from George Gross, who has been featured many times on this site. You can even see Gross’s signature in the bottom left corner of the cover.

I hope everyone has a good St. Patrick’s Day. They can cancel our parade but they can’t cancel our spirit!

Artwork of the Day: Mail-Order Passion (by George Gross)

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

by George Gross

Before online dating, I guess you just went out with whoever sent you a letter and hoped that you didn’t end up on a date with a middle-aged alcoholic who expected you to sit on his red couch.

This cover was done by George Gross, who has been featured frequently in the past and who will probably be frequently featured in the future.

Artwork of the Day: Off Limits (by George Gross)

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Dazzling Erin

by George Gross

This is from 1953. As you can tell from reading the cover’s blurb, this is a novel about the “The Guys, The Dames, The Joints, The Creeps Who Surround Our Army Camps And Prey On Our Soldiers.” On the cover, you can see one of “the dames” distracting two soldiers on a street corner. There’s no way that those men are going to be able to win their shooting game with a woman standing ten feet away from them.

(I showed this cover to Lisa and she said, “He’s probably just surprised to see his mom in the city.”)

This cover was done by George Gross. Gross’s work has been featured many times on this site and will probably be featured many more times in the future.

Artwork of the Day: Lure For Love (by George Gross)

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Dazzling Erin

by George Gross

Artwork of the Day: Best True Fact Detective (by George Gross)

Posted on August 15, 2020 by Dazzling Erin

by George Gross

The Covers of Fight Stories

Posted on July 29, 2020 by Dazzling Erin

Can you guess what Fight Stories was about?

Fight Stories made its debut in 1928 and it was the first all-fiction magazine to be devoted to an entire sport. Every issue was full of boxing stories from some of the most well-regarded of the pulp authors. Robert E. Howard, who is best-remembered for creating Conan the Barbarian, was one of the writers who was regularly featured in Fight Stories.

Published at the height of boxing’s popularity, Fight Stories was an unqualified success and ended up running, off-and-on, until 1952. In all, there were a 106 issues of Fight Stories. Below are just a few of the covers of Fight Stories. Not surprisingly, they all follow the same basic theme:

Author Unknown

by Earle Bergey

by George Gross

The Racy Covers Of Exotic Novel Magazine

Posted on April 8, 2020 by Dazzling Erin

Unknown Artist

Exotic Novel Magazine, which described itself as being “America’s Dean of Titillating Fiction” was a bi-monthly digest that was published from 1949 to 1951. Each issue featured a new novel about bad girls and the men who couldn’t resist them or good girls and the men who tried to corrupt them. The covers often promised that the novel found within was “uncut” and “uncensored.”

Today, of course, Exotic Novel Magazine is mostly remembered for its covers, which were done by some of the best illustrators working in the pulps. Below are a few of the exotic covers of Exotic Novel Magazine! As always, the artist has been credited when known.