Do original stories by famous authors drive up prices? 1 1

[Fukuoka]

I guess the question I posed would seem to answer itself... I mean, PKD original stories in a pulp would probably increase the perceived value. He seems to be an author who is known by non-SF fans. But how about the following by Arthur C. Clarke? I am no Clarke scholar, but I think the story itself is a minor one: 'Seeker of the Sphinx.' But since this is its first published appearance and Clarke is well-known, would this volume be a kind of 'key?' (Of course, there are condition issues.... but putting those aside for the moment...)

[OtherEric]

The real answer is "It depends".  I haven't seen much indication that Clarke drives up prices very much, honestly.  But other authors definitely can.

Actually, most of the value on SF pulps was largely story-driven until recently, now I would say with the exception of a few writers prices are more likely to be cover-driven. 

Just in general, Two Complete Science-Adventure Books hasn't been a particularly high demand title, it's fairly common as pulps go. 

[Fukuoka]

Thanks very much.

 

[Darwination]

A classic story by an author or a first appearance can do it, and some authors will drive prices up more than others (SF pulps can sometimes be jammed with pretty well-known authors)

It looks like Clarke shows up in letter pages and amateur pubs first:

In Amazing Feb 35, he pens "An Interesting Letter from an English Reader," for example

http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/i01/i01324.htm#A43

A handful of authors off the top of my head that will drive up the price - Hammett, Chandler, Lovecraft, Howard, Burroughs

[Surfing Alien]

On 2/1/2024 at 10:38 PM, Darwination said:

A classic story by an author or a first appearance can do it, and some authors will drive prices up more than others (SF pulps can sometimes be jammed with pretty well-known authors)

It looks like Clarke shows up in letter pages and amateur pubs first:

In Amazing Feb 35, he pens "An Interesting Letter from an English Reader," for example

http://www.philsp.com/homeville/FMI/i01/i01324.htm#A43

A handful of authors off the top of my head that will drive up the price - Hammett, Chandler, Lovecraft, Howard, Burroughs

I'd add Woolrich & PKD to that, Heinlein as well, at least the earliest couple of stories for Heinlein & PKD.

[Rick Hall]

There are  factors that determine the value/price of a pulp magazine;
Condition,obviously.
Age, the older the pulp, the scarcer it is.
"Classic" Covers, the iconic covers, covers that sell a pulp regardless of the contents or authors
Good Cover Art; not iconic, but attractive, or art by a cover artist whose work is collected.

Contents, THE most important driver; for the majority of pulp collectors. Pulp collectors buy pulps to read!
All Story; the 1912, October issue; the most expensive pulp. Why? #1: Author, Edger Rice Burroughs; #2 "Tarzan of the Apes [the complete novel]".
Any pulp with an ERB story is priced much higher than mundane poulps of that title; and the same holds true for another 50 to 100 authors.

 

[Rick Hall]

''Do original stories by famous authors drive up prices?"
Yes. You referred to SF authors.
SF pulps with Asimov, Heinlein, etc stories sell at a premium.
Non-SF pulps with Asimov, Heinlein, etc stories sell at a premium.
[There was a 1950s issue of "Short Stories", I title I collect, that was very hard to find. It has a Robert Heinlein story. It took a few years, but I found a copy, filed, on purpose, in one of a dealer's SF pulp boxes.]
ERB, OAK, REH, etc., big-name SF authors push up the price of the pulps with their stories.
Sometimes the story in the pulp was re-written later on. So you need the pulp to read the original version. SF authors had letters published in SP pulps. Almost none of those letters are collected anywhere.

[OtherEric]

On 2/17/2024 at 6:01 PM, Rick Hall said:

''Do original stories by famous authors drive up prices?"
Yes. You referred to SF authors.
SF pulps with Asimov, Heinlein, etc stories sell at a premium.
Non-SF pulps with Asimov, Heinlein, etc stories sell at a premium.
[There was a 1950s issue of "Short Stories", I title I collect, that was very hard to find. It has a Robert Heinlein story. It took a few years, but I found a copy, filed, on purpose, in one of a dealer's SF pulp boxes.]
ERB, OAK, REH, etc., big-name SF authors push up the price of the pulps with their stories.
Sometimes the story in the pulp was re-written later on. So you need the pulp to read the original version. SF authors had letters published in SP pulps. Almost none of those letters are collected anywhere.

Nice find on that issue of Short Stories, I've got a lot of Heinlein pulps but that isn't one of them.

[Rick Hall]

"I'd add Woolrich & PKD to that, Heinlein as well, at least the earliest couple of stories for Heinlein & PKD."
> Go to a pulp convention and ask that question. You'll gather 50 to 100 names that will bump up the price of a pulp.