New Pulp Books & References 4 4

[OtherEric]

2 hours ago, Bookery said:

 Anyone else can feel free to post any problems they've found as well (however, I'm not looking for pricing opinions since they will be forever evolving, but actual typos of significance or data-entry mistakes).  Here's a few I've already spotted --

Thank you for this.  I certainly can't complain about a handful of errors in such an excellent and useful volume; they're always going to be part of such a massive compendium of data.  Having corrections available here is a very useful service to us all.

With that said, a couple of small notes that I noticed

Pg 31:  "Astounding Science-Fiction" 1942 Aug:  Price goes 10 - 30- 790, pretty sure the top value is meant to be 90 unless people REALLY want a high grade copy of this one for some reason.

Pg. 90: To elaborate on the error you already had, there is a Lovecraft reprint in the October 1941 issue

And one silly one just because I find it funny

Pg. 225: You have three lines explaining what the 10 Story Fantasy 1-shot is noted for, but miss what I consider the most famous point:  it actually has 13 stories.

[Bookery]

1 hour ago, OtherEric said:

Thank you for this.  I certainly can't complain about a handful of errors in such an excellent and useful volume; they're always going to be part of such a massive compendium of data.  Having corrections available here is a very useful service to us all.

With that said, a couple of small notes that I noticed

Pg 31:  "Astounding Science-Fiction" 1942 Aug:  Price goes 10 - 30- 790, pretty sure the top value is meant to be 90 unless people REALLY want a high grade copy of this one for some reason.

Pg. 90: To elaborate on the error you already had, there is a Lovecraft reprint in the October 1941 issue

And one silly one just because I find it funny

Pg. 225: You have three lines explaining what the 10 Story Fantasy 1-shot is noted for, but miss what I consider the most famous point:  it actually has 13 stories.

Thanks!  I've added these to my notes, and will add them to the list above later.  The p.90 error must have gotten transposed somewhere along the way.  (It shouldn't affect pricing of either issue, however... it was the Finlay cover of the Dec. issue that was drawing a slight premium... the HPL was just an added note).  This will be a big help in fixing issues for future works.  Folks... let's keep those errors coming!         (Wait... what the hell am I saying-??!!)

[misterrmystery]

 

 

Just received my copy of the new guide and it's awesome. What a massive undertaking!  Heritage is selling these for $29.95 right now. Cover price is $39.95.

  Here's some pics of my well used old guide that's held together with tape. Now I can finally send this one to the graveyard. 

[Bookery]

Updated --

CORRECTIONS

p.31       Typo: 1942 Aug issue last price should read 90.

p.54       "Clues" -- typo; VF price for May 1943 issue should read 180.

p.90       "Famous Fantastic Mysteries" 1941 Dec: data error - no Lovecraft reprint in this issue.

p.136     "Marvel Science Stories" Feb, Aug -- not an error exactly, but possibly confusing as the vol. 1-5 designation makes it seem only one issue is listed, when both v1-3 and 1-5 are on this line.

p.282     "McClary" entry -- typo, "sciencefiction" appears without hyphen.

p.296     "Jan, Alfred" entry -- typo; should read "From Spicy to Bland".

 

[BarristerBaker]

On 2/7/2020 at 12:21 PM, Bookery said:

While I'm not a huge slab-person generally (though see a definite use when it comes to high-grades, restoration checks, etc.), in some ways I can see slabs being even more useful for pulps than comics.  Almost all early pulp content is public domain (likely available at Project Gutenberg and elsewhere), and the classics (Burroughs, Chandler, Hammett, Bradbury, Heinlein, etc., etc.) are all easily available in multiple inexpensive reprints.  The Shadow, Doc, and other hero pulps have had extensive reprints.  So slabbing pulps isn't really preventing the ability to access the reading material.  But pulps are so fragile, that maybe slabbing them is the one way to keep them intact for posterity.  Plus, with there being a couple of hundred or so issues so rare they probably exist in fewer than 2-dozen copies, it might be nice to make sure they stay preserved.

But the logistics for CGC might prove to be a nightmare.  Pulps come in so many varied sizes and thicknesses it would be difficult to accommodate them all.  Plus you need to have an expert on hand that knows about overhang, and counting 200 pages or more to make sure they are complete could be a major hassle.  And then, there are fewer pulps out there than comics (by far).  Comics are still being printed, and people send new issues to be graded every day.  There are a finite number of extant pulps, and it's possible there aren't enough copies to merit the initial overhead of designing slabs, hiring experts, etc.  But... they slab carded toys, baseballs, and other things... so it's not impossible to design slabs for them... just maybe not cost-effective?

I so, so want pulps to be slabbed. So want. Like with magazines, CGC should start with certain titles then expand. Yes, some engineering might have to change, but it’s worth the effort. 

[waaaghboss]

7 hours ago, BarristerBaker said:

I so, so want pulps to be slabbed. So want. Like with magazines, CGC should start with certain titles then expand. Yes, some engineering might have to change, but it’s worth the effort. 

Could they slab a pulp that doesn't have the overhang?  I have a la paree thata basically magazine.

[detective35]

As I mentioned above, you would destroy the overhangs.  You would basically have to custom design a slab for each pulp.

I do not know any seasoned collectors with large high grade pulp collections that want or would have their collections slabbed.  I was all for it in comics because of the rampant undisclosed restoration and poor grading, but I am dead against it in pulps.  I used to have no problem handling high dollar Church or Riley comics in my collection, but I have to be much more careful just handling one high-grade pulp because of the overhangs.

 Can you imagine somebody that’s not an expert handling them?

They will not slab pulps with overhangs as it would not be Cost effective.  **Now pulps with no overhangs (factory trimmed) could be slabbed.**

I get it if you do not want the pulps to go by the wayside like dime novels, or if you are looking to maximize your long-time collection, then you might not really care if overhangs are destroyed.

However, If you are comic guys that want to jump into the pulp hobby and need constant action in order to get to your fix, and you love slabbing that much, then stay with comics, that way you can buy, press, and flip all day long.  
 

I still love golden age comics, especially the pedigrees, but comics are a completely different animal than pulps.

 

Here is my post from before:

You would have to custom make a slab for each different size overhang.   The overhangs can differ in size from book to book of the same issue.  On some books the overhang can be larger on the top or the bottom, on the right side front cover or the back left side.  You would not only have to take in account varied sizes of overs on the front cover, but also the back, so be prepared as I stated to make a custom slab for each pulp that has an overhang.  Add to this the fact that some overhangs are curled under and just straightening them out would damage them,  if there’s any kind of brittleness.  

Cgc will not slab comics if they have a bad cut to them, so good luck with pulps, as they ALL would infinity have cuts than are 10x worse than the worst comics.

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by detective35DF

[sacentaur]

This new pulp guide has proven invaluable - if pulp collecting continues to grow (and I think it will), I hope Tim/Heritage will be able to update it more frequently than we’ve seen in the past (a ton of work, I know!).

With that thought in mind, there are some very seasoned and knowledgeable collectors out there who can help with data points. I don’t know if Tim prefers postings here or PM’s, and of course there’s only so much that can be crammed into one book, but establishing Bookery with pulps as Overstreet is with comics seems a natural evolution to me.

Edited March 15, 2020 by sacentaur

[Bookery]

2 hours ago, sacentaur said:

This new pulp guide has proven invaluable - if pulp collecting continues to grow (and I think it will), I hope Tim/Heritage will be able to update it more frequently than we’ve seen in the past (a ton of work, I know!).

It shouldn't be as much in the future.  I've changed the format with each edition, but now I'm pretty satisfied with it.  Most of the time spent on this last book was composing title descriptions and revamping the author-artist index. Updating prices is a major job... but not all that big if you keep up with it as time goes on.

2 hours ago, sacentaur said:

With that thought in mind, there are some very seasoned and knowledgeable collectors out there who can help with data points. I don’t know if Tim prefers postings here or PM’s, and of course there’s only so much that can be crammed into one book, but establishing Bookery with pulps as Overstreet is with comics seems a natural evolution to me.

I'm fine with updates or suggestions being done here.  It opens it to discussion, and if there's new, improved, or corrected information, everyone can take advantage of it.  I'm sure there will never be updates with the frequency of Overstreet... the pulp market is neither large enough nor volatile enough to merit annual updates (so far).  I don't know what an update schedule would look like... but probably only every few years.  However, I could see doing a new one next that expands to include the men's adventure magazines of the '50s and '60s (it falls under the category of "and related magazines"), as many of the same authors and artists continued in that medium after the end of the pulps.  It also depends on how large a book Heritage (or someone else if they tire of it) is willing to print... I could break down many more titles issue by issue, as I have all of that data in my notes, with many more individual stories and cover art mentioned.  But increased size means increased cost of the book, and already some of the old pulpsters have complained that Heritage charges a fee to use a credit card (a fee of about 90-cents compared to them dropping the initial price of $10.00... seems minor, but that's just me).

[sacentaur]

So to get things started, I’ve already discussed these with Tim and they are just suggestions for his consideration:

—Amazing Stories, Jan 1934... add that “Doc” Smith’s Triplanetary begins (ends Apr ‘34), the story would later be re-worked by the author as a Lensman prequel.

—Horror Stories, March 1935... add classic cover (by Charles Wrenn) designation, correct that the vampire is peering down on the captive female (his reflection is in the water) as she glances up at him in terror.

—Horror Stories, Apr-May 1938... add classic cover artist is John Drew, add bare-breasted female is being manhandled in the background as the next victim.

Has to be a lot of other tidbits out there, looking forward to what others have to offer...

[OtherEric]

A note or three on some of the Weird Tales, at least that I know of:

Weird Tales, July 1933:  The only issue to hit the trifecta of a Brundage cover, a new Howard story, and a new (not reprinted from a fanzine or elsewhere) Lovecraft story.

Weird Tales, January 1949:  In addition to the Heinlein story, one of only two John D. MacDonald stories in the title. 

Weird Tales, September 1950:  Only Issac Asimov story in the title.

[Robot Man]

1 hour ago, sacentaur said:

So to get things started, I’ve already discussed these with Tim and they are just suggestions for his consideration:

—Amazing Stories, Jan 1934... add that “Doc” Smith’s Triplanetary begins (ends Apr ‘34), the story would later be re-worked by the author as a Lensman prequel.

—Horror Stories, March 1935... add classic cover (by Charles Wrenn) designation, correct that the vampire is peering down on the captive female (his reflection is in the water) as she glances up at him in terror.

—Horror Stories, Apr-May 1938... add classic cover artist is John Drew, add bare-breasted female is being manhandled in the background as the next victim.

Has to be a lot of other tidbits out there, looking forward to what others have to offer...

I think you can probably add “classic cover” to ANY issue of Horror Stories...

[OtherEric]

Not so much a correction as a question:  The September 1939 issue of Thrilling Mystery has a story by Fred Englehardt.  According to the ISFDB, Frederick Engelhardt is a pseudonym for L. Ron Hubbard.  Does anybody know if the story in Thrilling Mystery is actually by Hubbard?

[Bookery]

16 hours ago, OtherEric said:

Not so much a correction as a question:  The September 1939 issue of Thrilling Mystery has a story by Fred Englehardt.  According to the ISFDB, Frederick Engelhardt is a pseudonym for L. Ron Hubbard.  Does anybody know if the story in Thrilling Mystery is actually by Hubbard?

It's not a pseudonym of his that I've come across.  It's also not listed by Fictionmags.com.  I used to have the big hardback bibliography of Hubbard, but don't anymore.  But if it was in there, I suspect that I would have incorporated that data into my own notes.

[PopKulture]

On 3/7/2020 at 7:49 AM, detective35 said:

However, If you are comic guys that want to jump into the pulp hobby and need constant action in order to get to your fix, and you love slabbing that much, then stay with comics, that way you can buy, press, and flip all day long.  

Can I ever begin to express how much I love and agree with this succinct indictment? You have clearly laid out the ground rules for the perpetuation of a long-held if mostly unspoken demarcation between the hobbies.  

Well put, Dwight.  

[sacentaur]

—Amazing Stories, February 1928... Baron Munchausen’s New Scientific Adventures (by Gernsback) begins (ends July 1928), novel was first published in Electrical Experimenter, 1915-16.

[sacentaur]

—Argosy, Sept 14 1929... add that Cummings reworked the Princess of the Atom story for Captain America Comics 25 and 26 (Timely, 1943).

—Astounding Stories, Sept 1937... add that Galactic Patrol (Lensman) begins (1/6) by “Doc” Smith.

[Bookery]

57 minutes ago, sacentaur said:

—Argosy, Sept 14 1929... add that Cummings reworked the Princess of the Atom story for Captain America Comics 25 and 26 (Timely, 1943).

—Astounding Stories, Sept 1937... add that Galactic Patrol (Lensman) begins (1/6) by “Doc” Smith.

Of course, it's beyond the purview of the physical guide to list all of the potential stories of interest or possible comic book connections (unless I can convince someone to publish a 1,000-page tome... not too likely!).  I tried to list author's 1st appearances, contents that clearly had an influence on an issue's value, and specific stories that were too major to ignore (e.g., The Maltese Falcon).

That said, however, all information like this is of interest, and there's no reason not to keep listing such data here.  Along your Captain America line above, Edwin Balmer & Philip Wylie's When Worlds Collide was loosely adapted as a run of "Speed Spaulding" stories in the newspapers.  This was subsequently reprinted in Famous Funnies issues 72-87.

 

[sacentaur]

Thanks Tim, will continue us to do so (and hope others chime in), even if you can use only a fraction of the data I would consider it a win. 

—Blue Book, Nov and Dec 1928... errata, the Tarzan and the Lost Empire story should be parts 2 & 3, not parts 3 & 4.

[Bookery]

1 hour ago, sacentaur said:

Thanks Tim, will continue us to do so (and hope others chime in), even if you can use only a fraction of the data I would consider it a win. 

—Blue Book, Nov and Dec 1928... errata, the Tarzan and the Lost Empire story should be parts 2 & 3, not parts 3 & 4.

Good catch!  Thanks!