The Art of Pulp Fiction: An Illustrated History of Vintage Paperbacks

As a collector, it is books like this that make a huge difference to me. Large glossy reproductions of assorted covers complete with intelligent commentary, walks you through the years from early pulp magazines to the development of the paperback book as we now know it. Simply browsing through this volume will make you drool! The publisher, IDW did a fantastic job on this book. Worth every penny, this is a worthy addition to my library. A hearty two thumbs up!

As a new pulp enthusiast, this book has been invaluable to leading me to pulps I wouldn't have known about! Thank you for making this guide!

Ed Hulse has put together a terrific little package with his latest book. THE ART OF PULP FICTION: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF VINTAGE PAPERBACKS, a follow up to his 2017 THE ART OF THE PULPS, is a history of paperback covers from paper bound novels in the mid 19th century to the 1970s that covers various genres (mysteries, westerns, science fiction, pulp hero reprints, exploitation) and the many artists that created the covers. There’s informative essays by the author and contributors that include Gary Lovisi, Will Murray & David Saunders, plus an introduction by the late Richard A. Lupoff, that discuss and cover (sorry!) the various trends of paperback fiction promotion over the last century,And those wonderful reproductions of covers by various artists including James Bama, Frank Frazetta, Jim Steranko, Robert McGinnis, and Norman Saunders, among others, are just great! If you have fond memories of seeing these covers as a kid, or just love great art, this is the book for you!

I bought this to see vintage illustration techniques. Good examples.

This makes a great companion to The Art of the Pulps book by some of the same authors. It is laid out beautifully and is overall well written, with multiple authors who are experts n the field of the Paperbacks , when Pulp Magazines were going out of style. Some of the same artists are represented, and there were many that hit their stride during this era. Anyone who liked The Art of the Pulps or who has an interest in the hey-dey of illustrated paperback book covers should get this book.

The title is misleading since this volume does not concern the cover art of pulp magazines, but rather the cover art of paperback books. These convenient volumes first became really noticeable in the 1940s and took off explosively in the 1950s. A large number of experts contributed text to this massive and very heavy book, and the level of genuine scholarship is high. One defect, perhaps unavoidable, is that the most popular, prolific and influential of the cover painters tend not to be mentioned very often, as the authors instead give us a good look at many obscure but talented producers of images that were expertly designed to grip the casual browser of the paperback rack instantly. I enjoyed the book throughout, but it was a real chore to hold up in a readable position.

I honestly didn’t want this book to end – every time I opened it, I had this nostalgic yearning for a time I wasn’t even born into, let alone around to experience... The whiskey-slugging from a flask, reading a potboiler on a late-night bus through the worst part of town, just to crawl up to your own typewriter in your single room efficiency; the world was so much more colorful, stark, and mechanical, and somehow even though the mores and social constructs of these fictions did nothing to reflect the action, sex, murder, and science of the time, the way in which these pieces were written and drawn did – almost in the way that a historic film from the 1980s looks and is performed entirely different than one today. In short, I love this era and the writing that came from it, and I had a blast every time I dipped into this big, colorful volume.Hulse has created a basic (but in no way exhaustive) history of the pulps, the life and work of its writers and artists, and the historic, cultural, and genre milieus in which the incredible artwork existed. The thing is, what this book lacks is easily forgiven. The quality lies not in depth or quantity, but in the scale of the book, the gorgeous printing and binding, the colors, the selections of detail, full title-less prints, and other interesting features make this as much a great book to read through as a perfect specimen of coffee-table book and source of broad general knowledge about the topic. There is a lot for those new to the subject yet enough tidbits of new facts that even those that know a lot can still enjoy the gorgeous execution of the volume and get some new tidbits from its pages.I loved it, and I am proud to keep it under my table as a source of pride as much as a source of dipping in here and there. Perfect execution by IDW.

This large coffee table book is lavishly colored, slick glossy pages, with hundreds of gorgeous scans of pulp magazine covers, along with the original oil paintings used for those covers. The history of the pulp artists, the authors and the publishing houses that established "pulp fiction" is well-written with great prose. Running commentary on early paperbacks is included. The authors/publishers went to a lot of trouble to seek out, for illustration, cover art that has never been available before by consulting private collectors in the field, and then spending considerable time cleaning up any nicks, creases and scratches from those covers. (Yes, the front cover of the book is the opposite -- it was meant to look like something older and aged.)Of all the coffee table books written on the history of pulp magazines, this is the best of them -- and I have half a dozen of these type books. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself this holiday (or your birthday) and grab this book and make the time to enjoy reading this.

A beautifully illustrated history of the pulp books and magazines of the early 20th century. All the greats are here - Doc Savage, The Shadow, Conan, various cowboy heroes and avengers etc. And the illustrations are magnificent in their colour crispness. I have many books on the pulps and their history but this is the best I have ever purchased. So many sexy women - femme fatales, science fiction beauties, cowgirls, pirate females, swashbuckling fantasy heroines amidst the strong jawed heroes like Conan and Doc Savage. A visual delight.

Ich habe ein Faible für Romanhefte oder Pulp Fiction, wie sie im Englischen heißen. Neben der Form der Geschichte ist es vor allem auch das Cover, das für mich untrennbar dazugehört, und zwar in seiner ursprünglichen, gemalten Form. Und genau dem widmet sich dieses hochwertige Buch, das einen Rundumblick über alle Genres bietet und wirklich weit in der Geschichte der Romanhefte zurückreist. Abgerundet wird das Buch durch gute und teilweise auch persönlich geprägte Texte (anstelle einer nüchternen Betrachtungsweise, die mir bei einem so nostalgischen Thema einfach unangebracht erscheint). Großartiges Buch!

Great book lots of cover arts in here that are quite amazing. Only thing is the front cover of the book doesn't match the book cover in the order photo... Other than that it's just want I wanted.

I collect paperbacks, mostly those with some notable cover art. Some are in this book.Slightly misleading title but if you like pulp art you will like this anyway.Great colour reproductions of the books and art with plenty to read too.It’s a hefty book, no substitute for the actual books if you are a collector but if funds and space are limited or you don’t want your loft or floors to collapse under the weight of books, (try putting that excuse/reason on your house insurance claim), then buy this. If you are a collector also buy this. Due to its size, you could use it along with some other hefty books, prop up your collapsed ceilings, (after you have read it).

Ein großformatiger opulenter Band mit einer Vielzahl hervorragender Titelbildwiedergaben sowie mit einem überzeugenden und fachlich sehr kompetenten Text. So wird der Bildband zum Schmuckstück jeder Sammlung. Unabdingbar für Sammler amerikanischer Taschenbücher aber auch für jeden anderen, der sich eingehender mit diesem faszinierenden Sujet beschäftigen möchte.