The Pulps: A Yearly Guide

by Jess Nevins

Much has been written about the pulps, the medium of popular fiction which began in 1896. And yet, despite the number of books and essays written about the pulps, and despite the current enthusiasm for some of the genres of literature which appeared in the pulps, a great deal of information about the pulps remains obscure, and a number of seemingly obvious questions remain unanswered–or worse, answered with misleading or inaccurate information. What were the most popular genres in the pulps? What were the most significant pulp magazines? How many pulps were published? When were the pulps’ heyday? When did the pulps decline? How did the pulps compare to the dime novels, and when did the pulps supplant the dime novels? I’ve attempted to answer these questions and provide accurate information on the pulps in THE PULPS. I’ve gathered together a substantial amount of numerical information never before brought together and presented it, and with that information set out the true history of the pulps, rather than the received wisdom about them.

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2016

Reviews

[Steven Latour · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fascinating book, but not what one might think. There is no information here about the pulps themselves specifically, whether they be Weird Tales or Amazing Stories, but instead here is a year-by-year breakdown of what genres of pulps were published and what percentage of the market they held. It focuses on 1918-1953 and it is very interesting to see the rise and fall not just of the pulps themselves, but the categories of pulps as they battled it out each year. I had thought that Science Fiction and Fantastica such as Weird Tales would be more prevalent and popular, but was surprised to see the focus on such things as Westerns and Spicy Tales. A fun afternoon’s read, but for an actually history of the pulps go elsewhere.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy reference point for a medium that looms large in pop culture. Tracking the numbers from the 1910's to the 1950's, the author charts the rise and fall of pulp fiction, revealing some interesting insights along the way.

Turns out it wasn't as detective based or science fiction based as I'd assumed. For that matter it's not aimed at necessarily as masculine a audience as you might think either with romance pulp looming large for much of the period in question.

So yes a solid piece of work but very stats based for the most part. Whilst each year gets a short written summary on top of the numbers you'll probably need to look elsewhere for a more descriptive historical narrative. It certainly has inspired to read more about the influential titles within pulp fiction, not to mention it's notable writers and publishers.

[Jon Allanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting read. Not the discussion of the heroes of the pulps one might have expected. Rather, a more statistical and economic breakdown of the raise and fall of pulp publishing. A very factual breakdown, indeed. Led me to rethink some things I had long thought about pulps. Also, led me to investigate many pulps I had heretofore not heard of. Illuminating, in a way.

[Plum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nevins's use of statistics to write the history of pulps is anything but dull. While calculating the rise and fall of pulps, he adds a touch of humor and some interesting bits about how historical changes in America influenced the pulps and how the pulps influenced American history. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in pulps.

[Jonathan Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful and interesting reference book. My only word of advice is if you are pondering the purchase, pick up the paperback version instead. I found myself struggling with the Kindle format making it difficult to flip back and forth.