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American Pulp
The best American crime stories ever published anywhere in the world, the true pulp fiction of yesterday is available now in a single, inexpensive volume. This is crime fiction at its absolute best--written by such masters as David Goodis, Ross Macdonald, Craig Rice, Leigh Brackett, Mickey Spillane, and Richard Matheson, among many others.
550 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
6 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
About the author
Ed Gorman
469 books121 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2008
"'You wouldn't refuse to help poor little me?' the beautiful blonde said. She leaned over the desk and fluttered her eyelashes at John J. Malone."
One story actually begins with these words. So many stories have a surprise ending to the point that the only surprise is when the characters retain their identities from beginning to end.
The fun is just in getting a slice of crime stories from the 50s. If you liked Double Indeminity, this is just your style. Some big names like Ed McBain/Evan Hunter, Donald E. Westlake, Mickey Spillane, and John D. MacDonald show up, but the bulk comes from people like Norbert Davis and Stephen Marlowe, who aren't as well known today.
Even if the stories are a little creaky, you get the noir sense of guilt and fear hovering over everything, and it is fun to see really good pop fiction done by people who took priced in being able to do it.
"Willie drained his beer quickly. Sally was waiting supper for him. He had reached the door when he heard the shots. The black sedan shot past as he stepped outside and for one awful instant he saw a face. Black eyebrows ... the sneer ... the scar on the cheek. The face of a guy he had known three years ago. And the guy had seen him, too. In his mind, Willie ran. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life -- but his legs didn't run."
Mickey Spillane was awful in all kinds of ways. This he knew how to do.
As a general rule, this book is something that you would want to just taste once in a while to clear your palate. One creaky story with a surprise ending is fun. A lot of them in a row becomes tedious.
One story actually begins with these words. So many stories have a surprise ending to the point that the only surprise is when the characters retain their identities from beginning to end.
The fun is just in getting a slice of crime stories from the 50s. If you liked Double Indeminity, this is just your style. Some big names like Ed McBain/Evan Hunter, Donald E. Westlake, Mickey Spillane, and John D. MacDonald show up, but the bulk comes from people like Norbert Davis and Stephen Marlowe, who aren't as well known today.
Even if the stories are a little creaky, you get the noir sense of guilt and fear hovering over everything, and it is fun to see really good pop fiction done by people who took priced in being able to do it.
"Willie drained his beer quickly. Sally was waiting supper for him. He had reached the door when he heard the shots. The black sedan shot past as he stepped outside and for one awful instant he saw a face. Black eyebrows ... the sneer ... the scar on the cheek. The face of a guy he had known three years ago. And the guy had seen him, too. In his mind, Willie ran. He ran faster than he had ever run in his life -- but his legs didn't run."
Mickey Spillane was awful in all kinds of ways. This he knew how to do.
As a general rule, this book is something that you would want to just taste once in a while to clear your palate. One creaky story with a surprise ending is fun. A lot of them in a row becomes tedious.
March 14, 2020
Una raccolta di racconti intensi, a volte disturbanti. Non tutti mi sono piaciuti, ma alcuni (per esempio "Mio Figlio, Uno Sconosciuto", "Tic tac", "Piccola Peste" o "Fiamma Frigida", ma ce ne sono altri molto belli) sono vere e proprie perle, che trasformano la racconta in un'opera davvero meritevole.
February 25, 2021
I have read a number of these short story collections. As usual most are very short, a few a little longer. Most of them are good along with a few that fall short for me. This 550 page collection went a little slower for me. It took me a while to muddle through which may just reflect my current interest in reading.
This would be a good book to own because it is inexpensive and tells a little about each author including mentions of their best books.
This would be a good book to own because it is inexpensive and tells a little about each author including mentions of their best books.
September 20, 2017
Belli!
July 4, 2012
Obviously any "best of" series is going to be subjective, and there are bound to be stories that click with the reader and those that just... don't. This collection is certainly interesting, and some of the stories are downright brilliant, but there are definitely a number of stories that felt a little too much like work to get through. I'd still recommend this collection to anyone interested in the pulps; there are plenty of 5 star stories in here. Some of the stand-outs, for me, were Talmage Powell's "Sudden, Sudden Death", a haunting piece by C.B. Gilford called "That Stranger, My Son", and a short but clever piece, "The Badger Game", by Jay Flynn.
I think that I might have given this a higher rating if I hadn't plowed straight through. As it was, I finished the bulk of the book in a couple of days, which led to all but the best stories blending together a little--there are only so many stories in a row you can read about someone double-crossing someone else before they start to seem kind of similar.
Stretched out over more time, these stories might be a very fun introduction to the pulps (even if they're from the later days of pulp).
I think that I might have given this a higher rating if I hadn't plowed straight through. As it was, I finished the bulk of the book in a couple of days, which led to all but the best stories blending together a little--there are only so many stories in a row you can read about someone double-crossing someone else before they start to seem kind of similar.
Stretched out over more time, these stories might be a very fun introduction to the pulps (even if they're from the later days of pulp).
January 27, 2014
S�, il Pulp ha dato vita a Hammett e Chandler e Spillane ecc ecc, ha allevato Tarantino ecc ecc per� se era stampato su riviste povere e per trovare qualcosa si deve fare una cernita del 99%, non � che fossero perle a cornucopie, no? Le letterature che hanno conquistato l'obiettivo - in questo caso di rimettere il delitto tra gli assassini, non tra i telefoni bianchi, sono poi poco appassionanti, in qualche modo esaurite. Qualit� oscillante, ed'� un'"accurata selezione".
February 18, 2016
This is a book that is 550 pages long, and filled with stories about crime fiction. There are 35 stories, including one by Mickey Spillane , along with a lot of the other name writers of the time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews