Thu 4 Aug 2011
PULP VAULT 14: The Greatest Single Issue Ever of a Pulp Fanzine, by Walker Martin.
Posted by Steve under Pulp Fiction , Reviews[17] Comments
The Greatest Single Issue Ever of a Pulp Fanzine
by Walker Martin
Recently while discussing PulpFest 2011 I made the claim that Pulp Vault 14 was the best ever issue of a pulp fanzine. I was immediately questioned by a reader concerning this statement. First, what qualifies me to make such a claim? I’ve been collecting pulps since the 1950’s and I’ve read most of the pulp fanzines published along the way. (By the way, I’m not talking about the SF fanzines which is a different subject.)
The first quality pulp fanzine that I read was Lynn Hickman’s Pulp Era in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. During the same period I was reading Fred Cook’s Bronze Shadows which published Robert Jones survey of the weird menace pulps in several issues.
I was so impressed by this long article that I literally nagged Bob Jones into writing the book, The Shudder Pulps, and we became good friends especially through our correspondence which lasted 20 years until Bob’s early death.
Robert Weinberg published Pulp which I recall as lasting 6 issues.
Then I became a subscriber to Xenophile which was an excellent ad zine full of for sale and want ads. The editor was Nils Hardin who also started publishing articles about the pulps. The magazine lasted over 40 issues in the 1970’s. Echoes lasted over 100 issues and was edited by Tom and Ginger Johnson.
John Gunnison published The Pulp Collector and Doug Ellis started Pulp Vault. Another quality pulp fanzine was Purple Prose edited by Mike Chomko. At present we have Blood n Thunder, edited by Ed Hulse, another excellent magazine which has just reached the 30th issue.
Other magazines were published but the above titles remain in my memory as the best. If I have left out your favorite pulp fanzine please let me know in the comments.
All the above editors have one thing in common, they all were awarded the Lamont Award, or in Mike Chomko’s case, the Munsey Award. If we tried to pick the best single issue from all the above titles, we would find no consensus among all the issues.
Until Pulp Vault 14, that is. Fifteen years ago when Doug Ellis published Pulp Vault 12/13, I began pestering him about the next issue. It had taken him three years to publish issue 12/13 and I was worried that issue 14 might also take three years.
Each year at Pulpcon, I asked him the same question, “When will Pulp Vault 14 be published?” His response was always “Soon, Walker”. Well it took 15 years but the wait was worth it.
What makes this issue the best ever? First of all it is larger than any single issue that I recall: 264 pages in the large 8 by 10 inch format. It has at least 10 major articles including an unpublished Virgil Finlay cover. Actually one article makes this issue a must buy: a 44 page piece by Mike Ashley titled, “Blue Book — The Slick in Pulp Clothing.” This magazine is one of the great pulp titles and lasted over 50 years, 1905-1956. (It was later revived by another publisher as a men’s adventure magazine, 1960-1975.) Mike Ashley covers the magazine’s history in five long chapters.
This tremendous survey belongs right up there with the great pulp surveys, such as Ed Hulse’s two-part coverage of Popular Magazine and his slightly shorter two-part article on Short Stories. Both articles appear in Blood n Thunder as well as excellent issues devoted to Adventure and Dime Detective.
Sam Moskowitz’s history of the Munsey publications is another fascinating survey but though it mainly covers All Story and Argosy, it really is about several magazines and not a survey of one title like Mike Ashley’s.
I also don’t want to forget the extensive coverage of Western Story Magazine in Jon Tuska’s The Max Brand Companion and in Eggenhofer: The Pulp Years. Another great pulp magazine, Adventure, is covered in a long article by Richard Bleiler in The Adventure Index. Astounding also had a book covering its history.
So Mike Ashley’s long piece on Blue Book belongs with the great pulp surveys. But that is just a part of Pulp Vault 14. We also have a long essay on Thrill Book by Will Murray; a discussion of the Clues Detective character Cyrus North (with a unpublished long novelet!); an article by Hugh Cave with a reprint of one of his very best long stories.
And there’s more: an article on Singapore Sammy by Rick Lai; a memoir by Robert Barbour Johnson on the Weird Tales days; an article by J. Edward Leithead on writing for the pulps, especially the early western titles; Otto Binder on his trip to NYC and many photos of the NYC World SF Convention in 1939; artist and publisher Tom Roberts on painting Doc Savage; and David Saunders on his father Norman Saunders.
That’s like ten major, long articles! And there is more such as Bob Weinberg on Strange Stories; Link Hullar on artist Frank Hamilton; and a long adventure novelette from Popular Magazine. So this is why I call Pulp Vault 14 the greatest single issue ever published of any pulp fanzine. Copies may be obtained from Black Dog Books or Amazon.com.
On page 2 of the issue editor Doug Ellis says, “Walker, please don’t ask us about issue number 15!” Needless to say the first thing out of my mouth when I saw Doug at PulpFest in July 2011 was, “Hey Doug, when will the next issue of Pulp Vault be out?”
August 5th, 2011 at 8:24 am
I agree with you Walker, this issue of Pulp Vault was well worth the wait. I usually try to read something from front to back, but in this case I was drawn right away to Mike Ashley’s fine survey of Blue Book. I began reading this magazine perhaps 25 years ago and I fell in love with all the great yarns in it. Argosy is a fine magazine but suffers from a collector’s point of view due to all the serials contained in every issue. I realize that Blue Book also ran serials (like “When Worlds Collide”) but not nearly the number of Argosy. My favorite Blue Books run from 1930 to the early 40’s. Then for an SF fan like myself there are also the Robert A. Heinlein stories in 1949 and 1951.
August 5th, 2011 at 8:41 am
Mike Ashley’s favorite period in BLUE BOOK is just about the same. He refers to the 1928-1940 years as BLUE BOOK’S “golden age”.
I heard about this BLUE BOOK article many years ago and I tried several devious schemes in order to read it:
1–First I asked Doug Ellis if he would make a photocopy for me to read. I promised to not show it to anyone and keep it hidden with my BLUE BOOK collection. I also promised to faithfully attend and support his Windy City pulp convention each year.
2–Then I heard that a copy of the article was circulating among the pulp fan writers involved with PEAPS. I couldn’t get a copy however.
3–Then I tried to talk Ed Hulse into contacting Doug and getting the article for publication in BLOOD n THUNDER. But Doug said no, he intended to do another PULP VAULT even though a long time had passed.
4–I was even going to try to trade Doug one of his pulp wants for a copy but then he surprised me and the BLUE BOOK article was published.
August 5th, 2011 at 9:24 am
You could still send me that pulp in trade, Walker. I won’t mind. 🙂
August 5th, 2011 at 9:57 am
I couldn’t stop reading the “Blue Book” survey once I started reading it and it’s been a long time since I read an article as seductive as this one.
My collection of “Blue Books” is, sadly, very incomplete but I’ve managed to collect most of the ERB bed-sheet issues and issues with illustrations by J. R. Flanagan. I asked Tom Roberts about the book he’s preparing on Flanagan and all I can report is that it’s still “in the works.”
August 5th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Walter mentions J.R. Flanagan and the book that Tom Roberts is working on. I learned of the Flanagan book a couple years ago and I’m eagerly waiting also. Flanagan has to be one of the very best interior artists to work for the pulps. He’s right up there with Will Crawford who did so many interiors for ADVENTURE. I have a Flanagan two page spread original piece from BLUE BOOK in the 1930’s. It’s a favorite of mine from a James Francis Dwyer serial.
August 5th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Unfamiliar as I regrettably am with Pulp Vault, the part of Walker’s article that made me smile was his mention of Nils Hardin and Xenophile, where several of my fan pieces appeared when I was first breaking into the writing game. A great zine, and Nils was quite a character who’s company I always enjoyed when passing through St. Louis in the 1970s. Then Nils and his magazine dropped out of site. Walker, might you know whatever became of him after those long ago days?
August 5th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Stephen Mertz, who used to attend Pulpcon in the early days, asks whatever became of Nils Hardin. Nils burned out at about XENOPHILE issue number 44 and stopped attending Pulpcon. I was friends with him also and it was a shame to see him lose interest in pulps due to personal and health problems.
Nils was still alive when the Pulpcon was in San Jose, California in the 1990’s but he died sometime later. A great guy and he was so influential that he was awarded the first Lamont Award.
August 5th, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Okay, when I first read your proclamation on PulpMags I had doubts. I’ve spent the past half-dozen years or so focused on collecting pulp fanzines. They are a bountiful collection of excellent pulp information. So I was thinking, how can PULP VAULT #14 be *the* greatest single issue ever. … Well, based on your review here, I can see why you made the claim.
But, actually, I’m thinking that it’s more than a single issue of a pulp fanzine. Heck — at 264 pages — it’s more like a complete run of one!
I’m moving #14 to the top of my to-purchase list. Kudos to Doug Ellis!
August 5th, 2011 at 11:58 pm
William, you will not be disappointed with PULP VAULT 14. I recommend this issue to every reader and collector of the pulps. It is full of interesting articles and is actually larger than many books. Believe me, I would not make such a claim unless the magazine was truly exceptional.
Ed Hulse has just made the statement that he is already planning the 10th anniversary of BLOOD n THUNDER. He says it will be at least a double issue and the last issue was 116 pages, so we can prepare ourselves for another astounding pulp fanzine.
August 6th, 2011 at 9:37 am
One of my favorite artists who did interiors for Blue Book is John Clymer. One of the advantages of working in the camera dept of the printing firm I worked at was I could take pulps to work and make high quality prints for myself. After work of course.
Among the series I enjoyed in Blue Book were the Tiny David stories of the Pennsylvania State Police, Leland Jamieson’s aviation tales and many more. If you aren’t fussy about condition they are pretty cheap (if the are no ERB in them). I think it was Randy Vanderbeek that had some mid 1930’s copies for $5.00 each. The only problem was they were ones I already have.
August 6th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
Thanks for alerting me to this fanzine, Walker. The Bluebook article alone is worth the purchase price.
August 6th, 2011 at 10:33 pm
By the way, all you fans of mystery writer, John D. MacDonald, if you look at Comment #11 and click on Steve Scott’s name, you will come to his blog, “The Trap of Solid Gold”, which discusses the work of MacDonald.
John D. MacDonald, who wrote the Travis McGee series, also had around a dozen stories published in BLUE BOOK. Steve Scott’s blog has a section on the right hand side called LABELS and if you click on “Blue Book” you will find his discussions about 4 of MacDonald’s stories in that magazine.
http://www.thetrapofsolidgold.blogspot.com
August 11th, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Thanks for all this, including the BLUE BOOK pointer on the JDM site. Though it almost sounds above as if I was challenging you, rather than asking the simple question that sparked this review…
August 12th, 2011 at 6:14 am
Actually, Todd I should be thanking you. One of the reasons I read MYSTERY FILE, and other blogs, is because of the comments, the dialog and discussion, etc. I’m always eager to talk about old magazines, paperbacks, books.
I love to read but I also want to discuss these exceptional efforts like PULP VAULT 14.
August 18th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
It’s really remarkable to read an article like this and see not a single word about my pulp magazine PULPDOM. Walker Martin has been a subscriber for about 8 years, PULPDOM has been around since 1997, and is a successor to THE FANTASTIC COLLECTOR, which has been a pulp fanzine since 1989. In fact, I’ve published about 3600 pages of “pulp magazine articles” during that time, by several authorities in the field: Mike Ashley, Brian Stableford, Al Lybeck Mike Taylor, & Sam Moskowitz. Mike Taylor’s description of Blue Book, 1905-1920, was in PULPDOM #48, March, 2007, and was illustrated in color.-Caz
August 20th, 2011 at 8:52 am
Thanks Caz for mentioning PULPDOM, which I’ve been reading for many years. This shows why the comment section is so valuable. If we erroneously leave something out, then the correction can be easily made.
I was talking to someone at PulpFest who mentioned an online article and I pointed out that the comment section had added some additional material. He admitted that he seldom read the comments which I think is a mistake. Sometimes the comments provide more interesting facts than the main posting.
September 13th, 2014 at 11:17 am
My, my…three years Since Walker’s post in 2011… Mike Taylor and I have published 9 issues of the old regular Pulpdom, and now 4 postings of Pulpdom Online, #4 just put up. Since this site is “Mystery*File”, the POL#4 article on the Shaver Mysteries of the 1940s should be of interest to readers……but three years is quite a void.