Memorial Day

     In recognition of Memorial Day, I did not want to write a great deal, as not much writing is needed; we all know why this holiday, more than most that occur throughout the year, is important and should be recognized. I decided on a small post, a short show of some of my favorite war-era covers from my personal collection of early twentieth century escapism, the stuff we on the home-front are fortunate enough to have the leisure of reading and enjoying, while Our Boys are overseas, sacrificing blood and limbs, and (as Memorial Day reminds us) often times a great deal more, whether it's the First World War or the Second, the Korean War or all of the other sites of the so-called "Cold War", and beyond.

     From 1776 to Vietnam and up through the present, I sincerely thank you for all you have done, to those who have given their all.



 

The Argosy All-Story Weekly - August 5, 1922

     It certainly has been a busy month for me, which, unfortunately has led to updates not being as often as I would like. I have recently taken on archival work at my hometown's historical society, in addition to the historiographical work I do already. I also have been doing additional research into Frank Munsey's life, as a greatly-expanded revision of my previous entries concerning him are slated for publication collectively later this summer. I hope such delays do not become a habit on my part.
     I wanted to post something of a personal nature; a story from the first pulp I ever acquired. It was something I picked up years and years ago, in a "$1 bin" at an antique store I visited while on a trip. Something about it interested me, and I picked it up out of curiosity more than anything; curiosity concerning this item that seemed to me in my ignorance, to be nothing more than an old manner of comic book. The stories inside I found interesting, and enjoyable to read, but I have to say I never gave pulp collecting much thought until years later, when I began collecting pulps that were the first to feature Howard Phillips Lovecraft's stories, and then expanded my interest into other authors and genres.
     I have scanned a short story from that first issue, appearing near the end of the magazine and being a simple "mystery-revenge" plot, nothing extraordinary but still, in my mind, enjoyable and a good representative of the sort of short stories to be found in pulpish ephemera.
Thanks to the Galactic Central website's index of pulp covers, as the cover to my copy detached years ago.