Rick Hall

On 6/24/2021 at 7:42 PM, Sarg said:

Bad condition, but ... what a cover.

A surprisingly  "1934-ish" cover for a book from 1941. Like Brundage Weird Tales, but with clothes. 

What is wrong with that pulp? Perfectly acceptable, much, much better than a "reading copy".

On 7/21/2021 at 10:26 AM, Bookery said:

Pulp collectors should note, however, that there are 2 distinct kinds of trimming.  There is the trimming of just the overhang, which can be done tidily, or crudely with "kindergarten scissors" (both are common, actually).  But there is also the not infrequent trimming of the entire book!  This is a different animal.  This was done by many early pulp collectors, using professional paper cutters, so that their pulps would fit neatly on bookshelves.  These  may have up to a half inch cleaved off the entire book, making what appears to be a large square digest.  I would not grade any of these above "G" or maybe even "fair", as often even the pulp logo is affected.  Unfortunately, I have quite a few of these lying about. 

"Pulp collectors should note, however, that there are 2 distinct kinds of trimming."
Do not forget that some pulps were trimmed by the publisher.
And pulp collectors know this. But potential collectors of slabbed pulps may not.

"There is the trimming of just the overhang, which can be done tidily, or crudely with "kindergarten scissors" (both are common, actually).  But there is also the not infrequent trimming of the entire book!"
Great, both are "trimming".

On 7/19/2021 at 11:07 PM, aardvark88 said:

CGC is actively hiring for their new pulp slabbing division. President M. Nelson hath just decreed (at about 1 hr 15 mins mark of Youtube) pulp trimming is NOT PLOD; will be blue label since pulp trimming is so common and 'accepted by the hobby.'

 

"pulp trimming is so common and 'accepted by the hobby.'"
> And just who said that? Trimmed pulps are always priced lower.

On 7/9/2020 at 7:19 PM, MrBedrock said:

Those are pulps!

Graded!

You owe me lunch and coffee!!!

No.
The issue of "Science Fiction +" is a digest magazine.
"Everyday Astrology" is an astrology magazine.
 

On 7/9/2020 at 6:04 PM, comicginger1789 said:

I mean would I pay $10-20 for a pulp with a cool cover? Sure. But that would be the high end for me. I can never see myself spending more because I’d rather spend that on comics. We might see certain covers that are horror or headlights or sci fi related go up a but but I can’t see it becoming a booming market. 

Does anyone have a VF copy of a pulp from the 30s or 40s? Every copy I’ve ever seen is 2.0-5.0 at best. Then again I don’t see many cuz they aren’t really on the radar.

"I mean would I pay $10-20 for a pulp with a cool cover?"
> I have never bought a pulp just because of the cover. I buy pulps to read.

"Does anyone have a VF copy of a pulp from the 30s or 40s?"
> They exist. But so what? You deal with what you find

"Every copy I’ve ever seen is 2.0-5.0 at best."
> Again, so what. The -value- of a pulp magazine is in the stories.

On 7/9/2020 at 4:15 PM, comicparadox said:

A huuge problem with pulps is that they are, well...

 

pulps.

The paper quality even at the time of printing was no rag content, high acidity. It's very difficult to find pulps from the late 30s to early 50s with decent quality paper.

I have no problem finding pulps with good paper.

On 8/22/2021 at 7:11 PM, Robot Man said:

Maybe they need to move the show to LA next time. Cool, breezy and high ‘70’s here today...

Why don't you West Coast Pulp Fans set up a convention?

On 8/4/2021 at 11:31 AM, waaaghboss said:

I know, I thought pulps were supposed to be cheap compared to comics 🙃 

I'm guessing this one went to high because it was an l Ron Hubbard, the best fiction writer of the Era.  The other issue from that run I lost went for 300ish.  Still more than I was expecting a defective pulp to go for.  My pulp price guide is already out of date 😀

"I'm guessing this one went to high because it was an l Ron Hubbard, the best fiction writer of the Era."
L Ron Hubbard is avidly collected by L Ron Hubbard fans. 
L Ron was a hack.  

On 9/7/2021 at 11:21 AM, htp said:

I love them, but I don't really consider them collectible. The prices generally seem to reflect that, which makes them perfect reading copies: cheaper and hold up better. I once passed on a  nice set of bound early Astounding and really regret it, it would've made a great keeper.

All my bound volumes are ex-library copies, but I suspect that's a coincidence and not representative.

They certainly are collectible. Why would they not be? 
They may not be very expensive, but does a low price mean something is not collectible?

On 1/13/2023 at 8:41 PM, goldsilverap said:

Thanks everyone for the recommended sites, one other thing thing is there something like Overstreet guide in the pulp world?

No. Both editions of the Bookery price guide are out of print, out of date, and were not that accurate when new.

On 3/14/2023 at 7:58 PM, FoggyNelson said:

Could be designated a classic cover as far as pulps go 🎖 🥉 🏆 

It might be, to people who collect pulps purely by the cover.
I do not think a Weird Tales collector would place this issue on a list of the 50 most desirable issues.

I certainly do not need a copy in my collection at all. Priced right, I would buy it for resale.
I could show you hundreds of pulp covers I like more.

What about the issues of "The Popular" with J.C. Lyendecker covers?

On 4/5/2023 at 3:18 PM, FanBoyOfMarve'nDC said:

I’d say this pulp makes the list of most desirable pulps, largely due to its’ appearance in the first Back To The Future movie.

https://backtothefuture.fandom.com/wiki/Fantastic_Story

 

That is a thin excuse to attempt to make a mundane pulp "more desireable".

On 3/13/2023 at 8:45 AM, Point Five said:

I think of this pulp as a classic cover. I'm sure it's more common than e.g. the 1930s books, but for a Startling Stories it doesn't come around that often.

If so, that is because the SF collectors and the Hero Pulp collectors working on their set of Captian Future.

On 10/10/2022 at 11:33 AM, Joshua33 said:

Technically, the Cupids Capers is a magazine, not a pulp, but all the pulp heads seem to desire a copy... me included. There will be a copy available in an upcoming Heritage auction, but I fear the days of obtaining a copy for under 5k are long over.

"but all the pulp heads seem to desire a copy"; no, just the pulp collectors who collect spicy pulps and the "smooshes".
I'd buy a copy, priced right, for resale. There is nothing worth reading in these magazines.

On 6/10/2022 at 10:16 PM, stippy52 said:

Just curious as to what the pulp community considers the top top 10 grails to have.

How can you have 10 Grails? That is like having 10 "Best Friends".

On 12/10/2021 at 9:12 PM, Surfing Alien said:

Seems like every collectible has taken off since Covid except these. They're still deader than a doornail even with Overstreets effort at putting them in the price guide years ago. I bought quite a few at the onset of the ebay era because they were so cool and old and cheap, including a very nice Laughing Dragon. I've seen so many rare ones go for a song on the bay, even rare Disney ones so it's not just all the dead characters that no one knows. Sad but true 

BLBs and the other similar series, are not very interesting to read.

On 12/7/2021 at 1:53 PM, ft88 said:

I think of them both as comic related reading with cool cover but stories inside.  Both were cheaply produced, cheap to buy and tough to find in higher grade.  And not a quality location to post in the threads.  

BLBs do cross over with comic strips but not much with comic books.
Comic Books are full of comic book stories.
Big Little books have a single story, a novelette?, with an illustration on every other page.
Pulp Magazines contain fiction of any length, with a few scattered interior illustrations.

"Both were cheaply produced, cheap to buy"
> So what.

"... and tough to find in higher grade."
Everything old is hard to find in high grade.

"And not a quality location to post in the threads."
And neither is this sub-board.

On 12/7/2021 at 1:26 PM, ft88 said:

Seems like the pulp forum would be the place for BLBs. 

No, not at all. Two completely different products: book vs periodical. 

On 8/5/2023 at 12:17 AM, Hibou said:

I know this is a very subjective question but in general, are Canadian editions of The Shadow Magazine valued the same as the regular US copies?

It is not a subjective question. The Canadian issues are not the same. And the prices reflect that.

Canadian pulps were issued in several ways.
They might be identical except for the cover saying "Canadian Edition" or "Printed in Canada".
Sometimes they were published a month or two later; sometimes with Canadian ads, but the same stories.
Sometimes the Canadian Edition was smaller and not all the stories were reprinted.
Some Canadian Editions had new cover art,
.
 

On 4/9/2023 at 11:34 PM, Hibou said:

Through some on-line sources, it's stated that Summer 1949 was the last issue of the Shadow Magazine...

"The Shadow was a crime-mystery magazine which featured the pulp hero in his first ongoing publication, and as such became highly influential to other pulps and comic books. It launched as a monthly in 1931. The following year it became a twice-monthly, which lasted for ten years. In 1943 it became a monthly again and in 1947, the schedule dropped to bimonthly. By 1948 it was a quarterly and the magazine finally expired eighteen years later in the summer of 1949. "

So how is there a Winter 1949 issue?!

And some other information on-line states that the final issue is Fall 1949

Some publishers started the year with a Winter issue. Some ended the year with a Winter issue.

On 8/22/2023 at 11:15 AM, Robot Man said:

I want anything with a babe chained to a wheel, coffin, or what have you…

Those covers have been collected in book form.

On 8/22/2023 at 12:17 AM, tth2 said:

I want pre-1940s pulps in true NM or better condition.  Do they exist?

Yes, they will be incredibly scarce. And very expensive.
What genre of pulp magazines do you read? Which are your favorite authors? 

On 8/27/2023 at 4:30 PM, Murphman13 said:

Is this show and Windy City the two best pulp conventions in the US? I know “best” is a relative term but I’m talking about all the things that makes a convention great from attendance to dealers to collectors, etc. Are there any other significant pulp conventions?

Pulp Adventurecon has been running for over 20 years.
They run a one-day show in New Jersey in November and a one-day show in Florida in March.

One day show, a smaller venue, but they sell out their tables every time.

On 8/9/2023 at 3:12 PM, Comicshows said:

Any more pics or show reports?

As usual, it was a fantastic show. I did well selling at my table. There were plenty of attendees. And several new faces.

Argosy was plentiful, but no dealer had 8 or 9 boxes of them to go through as there were in the old days. 20s and 30s issues of Adventure are getting harder to find.
Short Stories has nearly vanished from dealer stock. Issues before 1926 are just not to be found

There was surprising interest in Railroad Stories. I sold every issue I brought to the show.

On 8/2/2023 at 3:25 AM, Primetime said:

I’m looking for a low grade Ka-zar 1 (1936).  If anyone sees one there, LMK 👍🏽

#! is partially easy to find. In any condition, it is a wall book. #s 2 and 3 are harder to find. [You will find very little in common with the comic book Ka-Zar.]