Ed, Author at Black Mask

Ed

PulpFest 2013 Plans Are Underway!

dealer's room, Details, Doc Savage, Fu Manchu, hero pulp, Hyatt Regency, THE SPIDER Comments Off

Sep 272012

The PulpFest committee is delighted to announce that our 2013 convention will once again be held at the Hyatt Regency hotel in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Our 2013 confab will take place from Thursday, July 25th, through Sunday, July 28th. It will boast the same combination of product and programming that has made PulpFest the must-attend annual event for fans, scholars, and collectors of pulp fiction.

Two very important anniversaries will figure prominently in PulpFest’s 2013 programming. First and foremost, we are celebrating the hero pulp revolution that began 80 years ago in 1933, with the debuts of such popular figures as Doc Savage, The Spider, Nick Carter, Pete Rice, The Lone Eagle, The Phantom Detective, and G-8 and His Battle Aces. The success of Street & Smith’s Shadow pulp, launched two years earlier, spurred this revival of single-character magazines, which had been a phenomenon of the dime-novel era. The hero pulps revitalized an industry laid low by the Great Depression, and they dominated the rough-paper field for the rest of the decade. They remain the most avidly collected and frequently reprinted periodicals in the hobby.

We’ll also acknowledge the centennial of Sax Rohmer’s Dr. Fu Manchu, who made his American bow in a February 1913 issue of Collier’s Magazine. The initial cycle of short stories was published between hard covers later that year as The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. The first and greatest “Yellow Peril” villain, Rohmer’s Devil Doctor was widely imitated in American pop culture; rough-paper knockoffs included The Mysterious Wu Fang and Dr. Yen Sin, two short-lived pulps from Popular Publications.

With so many possibilities for panels and presentations, the PulpFest committee once again plans to offer a full night of programming on Thursday, before the convention’s “official” opening on Friday, so attendees are urged to make early arrival a part of their PulpFest travel plans.

The Hyatt Regency has asked for a modest increase in guest-room rates, which will be $112 per night as opposed to the $109 we paid this year. However, to reward loyal attendees who support the convention by staying at the host hotel, PulpFest is happy to be able to offer a ten-dollar rebate redeemable at the registration desk. This will cover the three-dollar nightly increase incurred by Hyatt guests.

We are also happy to once again supply a third table free of charge to exhibitors who stay at the Hyatt and rent two tables in our hucksters’ room. That’s three tables for the price of two, or six for the price of four. The massive size of the Regency Ballroom enables us to provide this extra exhibit space to loyal PulpFest dealers, for whose continued support we are most grateful. Remember, though, this special offer is good only to dealers staying at the host hotel.

Although the 2013 convention is still ten months away, you can rest assured that the committee is already hard at work on planning and promotion. Ideas for panels and presentations have already been proposed and, as always, we remain open to programming suggestions and volunteer presenters. Most importantly, though, we wanted to let you know that our venue is confirmed. So start saving for the next PulpFest right away and check back periodically for updates.

Another Special PulpFest Sale!

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Aug 042012

Less than a week before the convention begins, we now get word that Ron Hanna, long-time fan and publisher of Wild Cat Books, will make PulpFest the site of what he’s calling “a Super-Special Clearance Sale.” Since he will soon be marrying (congratulations, Ron!) and moving across the country, Mr. Wild Cat will be selling the vast majority of his stock at $3.00 per book, with no limit on quantity.

In addition to publishing the fanzine Secret Sanctum, Ron was among the pioneers of what has been dubbed the “New Pulp” movement. Among the best-selling Wild Cat titles in his sale are Rabbit Heart, The Damned Thing, and several different volumes of The Rook by Barry Reese (all first printings, not the new Pro Se Press reprint volumes). Also included in the sale will be Tales of the Norse Gods by Rob Morganbesser and Zombies in Time and Space by John L. French, in addition to “many issues” of Ron’s popular Startling Stories revival.

The only Wild Cat titles still being offered at their regular list prices are Ron’s two latest releases: the Summer 2012 issue of Startling Stories and Martin Powell’s The Halloween Legion. Otherwise, his clearance sale promises to be a golden opportunity for “New Pulp” fans and collectors attending the convention.

Edgar Rice Burroughs, Movie Producer

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Jul 192012

In 1934, after years of unsatisfactory dealings with Hollywood studios, Edgar Rice Burroughs entered into partnership with an old friend to produce motion pictures adapted from his novels and characters. Late that year, the ill-fated Burroughs-Tarzan Enterprises sent an expedition to Guatemala to film a 12-chapter serial titled The New Adventures of Tarzan. This complicated undertaking proved to be a bigger adventure than anything the serial’s scriptwriters had concocted. At various points during the production, cast and crew ran out of food, water, and money. Severe weather, logistical problems, and countless illnesses beset the entire unit.

Former Olympic athlete Herman Brix, making his starring debut as Tarzan, gave an exclusive interview to Blood ‘n’ Thunder editor Ed Hulse in 2002. The actor’s insights, combined with Ed’s own research, laid several myths to bed while adding important details to the extraordinarily rich history of ERB’s involvement with The New Adventures of Tarzan.

On Thursday, August 9th, at 11 PM, Ed will offer his insights into the history of ERB’s involvement with the 1934 film serial. Following the presentation, PulpFest will run the 72-minute cutdown of the chapter play, released simultaneously under the same title, The New Adventures of Tarzan, for theaters that did not book serials. A question and answer session will end the night.

There’s Still Time to Make Your Hotel Reservation — But Not Much!

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Jul 122012

If you have not yet booked your room at the Hyatt Regency for the upcoming PulpFest, we advise you to do it soon. With the convention less than a month away, rooms are going fast. There’s no telling when they will all be gone.

The Hyatt has already filled the block of rooms initially set aside for us. We’ve been told that the hotel has "shifted some inventory" (i.e., freed up rooms earmarked for some other purpose) to ensure that PulpFest attendees are able to obtain accommodations at the convention rate. We understand that a few attendees called in their reservations only to be told there was no more room at the inn, as the saying goes. Happily, this is not the case. So now’s the time to place your reservation and snag one of the remaining beds.

You can find the hotel’s phone numbers on our home page under "Book a Room at the Hyatt Regency Columbus." You can also book online by clicking on our link to the hotel. Now that everything is coming together, we can guarantee you won’t want to miss a minute of our 2012 gathering. The plethora of programming will mean several very late nights, so staying at the Hyatt is the one truly comfortable and convenient option.

We look forward to seeing all of you in August at PulpFest 2012!

Buy Two, Get One Free!

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Jul 032012

With PulpFest fast approaching, we’ve been assembling the vast jigsaw puzzle that is the dealers’ room, making sure our vendors are placed in the specific locations they asked for–against the walls, in the “island,” near electrical outlets, and so on. We now find ourselves in the desirable position of having available more space than we originally thought.

The exhibit area assigned to us by the Hyatt Regency for our dealers is 25 percent larger and more conveniently configured than the ballroom we used at the Ramada Plaza. When scouting the new hotel it was immediately apparent to us that PulpFest hucksters would have larger and more comfortable quarters. The only downside we could think of before electing to move to our new location was that the Hyatt supplies six-foot tables rather than the eight-foot tables we had been getting from the Ramada

But in laying out the room it has become apparent that we can squeeze more tables into our allotted space than previously estimated. Therefore, in the interest of restoring to our dealers the square footage they have been accustomed to, we are delighted to announce that we can now provide a third table free of charge to any vendor who has already booked, or still intends to book, two tables at PulpFest. We are, however, limiting this offer to dealers who will staying at the Hyatt.

If you have already reserved two tables and would like a third free, just e-mail Jack Cullers and let him know. Write to jack@pulpfest.com. If you have not reserved tables yet, well, we recommend you do so post haste, because the free upgrades from two tables to three will probably eat up that extra space in fairly short order. Remember, the three-for-two offer extends only to PulpFest vendors who are staying at the Hyatt during the con. Please visit our registration page for further instructions.

At this point we would also urge you to take full advantage of our generous load-in and set-up period. After all, this is our first year in a new location, and while uploading and transporting your goods should be much easier–there’s a side entrance to the hotel for loading and we have been granted exclusive use of a freight elevator–there is bound to be a certain amount of disorientation as folks negotiate their way around the Hyatt for the first time. We feel very strongly that attendees have every right to expect a fully-set-up hucksters room as soon as the convention opens on Friday, which is why PulpFest has always offered a lengthy load-in period on Thursday from 4 – 11 PM. We welcome your cooperation in this aspect of the show.

The PulpFest committee is very excited about our first show in this upscale new venue. Our programming is set and, as is always the case this time of year, we’re fielding lots of questions from eager registrants, some of them attending PulpFest for the first time. It’s going to be a great weekend!

PulpFest to Auction Al Tonik’s Collection

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Jun 252012

Albert Tonik, long-time fan, scholar and collector of pulp magazines and related pop-culture artifacts, has decided to sell his holdings and has chosen PulpFest as the most appropriate venue to do so. Therefore, the vast majority of lots offered at this year’s Saturday-night auction will be choice items from Al’s huge collection of hardcovers, paperbacks, pulps, dime novels, comic books, fanzines, and especially reference books that are both scarce and desirable.

One of the last remaining PulpFest members who actually bought pulps off the newsstands, Al discovered pulp fandom several decades ago and began collecting anew the rough-paper magazines he enjoyed so much as a youth. But his activity didn’t stop there: Al was determined to research the lives and careers of pulp writers, artists, editors, and publishers. He assiduously tracked down and made contact with surviving pulp-industry veterans, corresponding with many and meeting some face to face. More than a few considered him a friend and granted him unlimited access to their files for his research.

Over a period of several decades, Al researched aspects of pulp history previously covered sketchily, if at all. He unearthed long-buried records—letters, ledgers, invoices, inter-office memos—that enabled him to identify the works of pulp writers who had worked under pseudonyms, to determine how much they had been paid for their labors, where and when their stories had been reprinted (if at all), and so on. In the course of this research, which he came to enjoy as much if not more than reading the actual pulps themselves, Al amassed a huge library of reference works that facilitated cross-referencing and added to the wealth of knowledge he uncovered through his friendships with veteran pulpsters.

Al loved sharing his knowledge. As an early member of PEAPS (the Pulp Era Amateur Press Society), he became well known for his contributions entitled “Ramblings of a Perambulating Pulp Fan.” He transcribed interviews, compiled exhaustive bibliographies, and wrote fact-filled articles for such popular fanzines as Echoes, Pulp Vault, The Pulp Collector, Purple Prose, and Blood ‘n’ Thunder. Al never wrote a pulp-history book himself, but he supplied hard-to-find information to more than a dozen tomes penned by his friends and fellow pulp fans.

Although Al remains in relatively good physical condition for his 87 years of age, he has decided it’s time to dispose of the collection he has spent so long compiling. He wants this treasure trove of material to be disseminated among his fellow hobbyists and to that end has asked PulpFest to auction the material.

Among the many treasures that will be offered during our August 11th auction will be Leonard A. Robbins’ multi-volume The Pulp Magazine Index, Marshall B. Tymn’s and Mike Ashley’s Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Weird Fiction Magazines, Sam Moskowitz’s Under the Moons of Mars signed by the author, Michael L. Cook’s Mystery, Detective, and Espionage Magazines, Quentin Reynolds’ The Fiction Factory, a complete run of the quarterly PEAPS mailings, a bound volume of Lynn Hickman’s The Pulp Era, runs of Echoes, The Pulp Collector, Pulp Vault, Rocket’s Blast Comic Collector, and other fanzines, a few issues of Standard’s Thrilling Comics and Street & Smith’s Shadow Comics, several Jungle Stories and various Western pulps, many issues of The Pulp Review/High Adventure, a large number of Jim Hanos’ pulp reprints, film and television scripts, superhero paperbacks, and much more.

Over the years Al has been one of the hobby’s most generous participants. He has given us a great deal—including his friendship—and we’re pleased to have a role in giving something back in addition to finding good homes for the books and magazines he has treasured for so many years.

More information will be supplied after we’ve been able to catalog Al’s voluminous holdings. Check back often, if you’re not doing so already. This auction is yet another reason to be excited about PulpFest 2012, which is almost certain to be the best yet!

Time’s Running Out to Advertise in THE PULPSTER!

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May 212012

June 15th, PulpFest’s deadline for advertising in The Pulpster, is fast approaching. Tony Davis and Bill Lampkin are already hard at work to make this year’s issue the best ever. We’ve promised to deliver all ads to them by mid-June to provide them with plenty of time to polish the eye-catching design that has distinguished the long-running ‘zine since PulpFest took it over in 2009.

When you advertise in The Pulpster, you aren’t only reaching the hundreds of people who attend our convention. Each yearly issue of The Pulpster has an afterlife as a stand-alone magazine, selling to interested buyers as long as supplies last.

Although the cover positions have long been spoken for, we can still accommodate interior B&W ads in all configurations–but only for the next two weeks. So if you’re among those who have been thinking about advertising but have not yet pulled the trigger, now’s the time! You’ll find prices and guidelines on the Program Book page of our website or by writing to ed@pulpfest.com.

At the Newsstand with Hulse and Roberts

Astounding Science Fiction, Astounding Stories, Golden Age, Golden Age of Science Fiction, John W. Campbell, Programming, science fiction Comments Off

May 072012

Much of our 2012 programming revolves around birthdays. Both Tarzan and John Carter, Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ two most popular heroes, turn 100 this year. And Robert E. Howard’s Conan reaches eighty. We’re celebrating these important occasions with presentations devoted to these characters and their creators. But 2012 marks another important anniversary in pulp history.

This summer’s PulpFest will begin almost 75 years to the day after the September 1937 Astounding Stories hit newsstands across the nation. That issue was the first to benefit from the input of John W. Campbell, a pioneering science-fiction writer hired to assist F. Orlin Tremaine, who had been at the magazine’s helm since Street & Smith purchased it from publisher William Clayton in 1933. With Tremaine’s guidance, Astounding had become the preeminent SF pulp, but its best days were yet to come. Just a few months after joining the magazine’s staff, Campbell assumed full editorial control of the monthly and promptly instituted policies that ushered in what later became known as the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Within a few short years, John Campbell had assembled a stable of writers that included talented newcomers and reliable mainstays alike. His roster of contributors was unparalleled by any other magazine in the field, and the first six years of his tenure as editor saw the publication of such classic science-fiction stories as "Slan," "Who Goes There?", "Final Blackout," "Sixth Column," "Methuselah’s Children," "Beyond This Horizon," "Gather, Darkness!", three of E. E. Smith’s "Lensman" novels and the early installments of Isaac Asimov’s "Foundation" series.

PulpFest 2012 will honor this remarkably fecund period in Astounding’s long history with a unique presentation. Rather than entrust it to a single speaker or a panel of enthusiasts, our salute to Campbell and the magazine’s Golden Age will be conducted by Garyn G. Roberts, PhD., and Blood ‘n’ Thunder editor Ed Hulse. Both are well qualified to discuss Campbell’s influence and Astounding’s peak years: Roberts is a popular culture professor and the editor of The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2000), while Hulse has written extensively about Astounding’s Golden Age, most recently in The Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Collecting Pulps (2007).

Roberts and Hulse will take a Siskel-and-Ebert approach to their conversation, citing their favorite Astounding authors and stories while debating the merits of individual yarns that appeared in the magazine during the years under review. Their discussion will be accompanied by a slideshow of Astounding covers from September 1937 to November 1943. We’re not aware of any pulp-convention presentation that has employed this format, and we think it’ll be something special.

Join PulpFest on Thursday, August 9th for At the Newsstand with Hulse and Roberts.

The cover art above is by Wesso for the September 1937 issue of Astounding Stories.