PULP COVER FRIDAY GOES CALIENTE!
Or, as they like to say in the pulp field, spicy.
These were the soft-core porn mags of their time. There were a lot of clutching hands, heaving bosoms, panting kisses, white fleshy globes, glistening thighs, etc, but it rarely got more descriptive than that. Oh yes, bondage of various sorts was also very popular. I must admit that I am not widely-read in the field. The fiction is almost uniformly poor to mediocre, though some writers (For example, E. Hoffman Price, Robert Howard, Hugh Cave [often under the pseudonym Justin Case – get it?] in this decidedly peculiar sub-genre rose to acceptable levels of quality. But, we’re not talking about the writing here, are we?
There were a number of spicy magazines, but in this installment we’ll concentrate on the (intentionally?) ironically named Culture Publications line.
First up is Spicy Adventure, which lasted for 95 issues (1934-1942) until it changed publishers and was retitled Speed Adventure, perhaps in an attempt to escape the censor but more likely in an attempt to escape their creditors. (Such strategies were common in the pulp era, and writers, who at this level of the food-pyramid were probably getting paid one half to one quarter cent a word [that is not an exaggeration or misprint] were often left holding the bag.
Next up, Spicy Detective (104 issues, 1934 -192), which also underwent a similar rebirth as Speed Detective.
Spicy Mystery (73 issues, 1934-1942), which morphed into Speed Mystery.
And finally, perhaps my favorite as a title (I’ve never read any of these) Spicy Western (1936-1942), which became, yes, you guessed it, Speed Western.
As a bonus, here’s a sample of a non-frills, straight to the point magazine, just called Spicy Stories, presumably filled with spiciness of all kinds (1928-1938).
Who’s still with me? The month of January almost got away from me before I had a chance to post the next contest. This time, it’s a photo quiz. Below is an ancient artifact that recently resurfaced for reasons (since this is getting long) that will be revealed in my next post. It dates to the paleolithic, yet halcyon days of the summer of 1974. Can you spot John in the picture? Careful, it’s a trick question. Get you guesses in by noon, Monday. First correct answer receives a multiply-signed copy of INSIDE STRAIGHT, the first of the Tor wild card books; a fine condition first edition. Everyone else who ventures a guess will be entered in the bonus give-away that we’ll get around to someday. If you already have INSIDE STRAIGHT, I’m sure we can work something else out. Good luck to all.
Damn, I love those old pulp covers. The stories weren’t so bad, either, considering. I’m about halfway thru Sax Rohmer’s female Fu Manchu launch of Sumuru in Nude In Mink (also on the iPad via Project Guttenberg so there is no spiffy cover–but I have the old pb version which is so brittle just thinking about it chips the pages. The cover was OK, but nothing like on the magazines!)
Is there a market for an e-version of old pulp stuff with covers like above?
[You're in the center, John. Is that Charles on your left? Don't know who is on the right, so he might be a John, too--not an entry, just an observation on the photo]
I’ve wanted to read those — they were pretty late in his career, I believe. 1950′s. I would put Rohmer several cuts ahead of the typical prose of these magazines, though as I mentioned there has been some good work in them.
You know more about the e-market stuff than me, but there is a big facsimile market going on. Several smaller presses are producing them. SPICY MYSTERY has had a lot of issues reprinted in that fashion, as I understand that for some reason they’re very elusive (and expensive) in the originals.
I don’t know how the pulp collectors would translate into the e-market. A lot of them are older fuddy-duddies (like us) and I don’t know how well they’ve adapted to this new-fangled stuff. I do know a fair amount is available on-line in e-text, but pretty sure the covers and art (though the interior art in these tends to be sketchy) don’t go along with it, and the art is the biggest attraction to me.
[I won't make any definitive comments on the contest at this time, to say that you're right, and you're wrong. How's that for obscurity?]
Those covers are great. You could never get away with that now.
I think John is on the right. [I hope he is at least
]
John is the fellow in the middle of the photograph, blue shirt and both hands in pockets. I am curretnly reading a string of Sax Romer books on my Kindle. Very enjoyable!! The cover art on these old magazines are great! I especially like the cover of “Spicy Stories” and “Fiend’s Feast.”
the guy in the middle
I say you are the photographer – so no, we can’t really spot you in the picture.
if it is a trick question, i would also say that You are the photographer
I rather like those two Spicy Mystery covers, especially the one with the frog-man (even if the frog-man is a bit too literal an interpretation for my tastes). Both of those covers would have lured me in.
As for the contest…man, I’ve been wracking my brain over the trick question aspect of it. I’m certain that is you in the centre but where’s the trick in that? And since there is no point in guessing the same as someone who answered before me, I’m going to go way out on a limb for my official answer.
In the bottom left corner across the damaged?/folded?/taped? line it looks like there might be some hand written text. It’s quite likely just the lay of the grass and I’m just seeing ‘pictures in clouds’ but I’ve stared at it long enough to convince myself that it looks like someone was writing on a piece of paper on top of the photo and thereby marked the photo. I’ve further convinced myself that this text could just possibly be your name. So, I say that I spot ‘John’ in that bottom left corner.
Feel free to commence ridicule, but that’s my answer…and I guess I’m stuck with it.
Hmm, well seeing as the other answers have been snatched before me, I wouldn’t be the first to say them. Which is why I choose to go with a whole new theory: All three of the people in the picture is named John.
Ridiculous as it may sound, that is what I find most probable to be the answer if it’s not any of the previously stated.
And the winner is….Roselee!
Some great and imaginative answers ( and even another correct one, but Roselee beat that commentator). Everyone else who answered has been entered in the second chance drawing. Check my latest blog post (February 1) for a full explanation, and thanks to all for entering.