The Pulps: A Yearly Guide by Jess Nevins
This book takes a decidedly different approach to the pulps. And that’s what makes it a useful guide for anyone looking to learn more about this genre.
Nevins analyzes the pulps by looking at the stats behind them year by year from 1918 to 1953. That means taking a look at the number of titles and issues published and what percentage each genre is responsible for. That makes for an easy way to tell, at a glance, what market segments were most popular at any given time.
This approach highlights the surprising strength of the spicy pulps and the surprisingly smaller impact of the detective pulps, to offer just two examples.
It’s a useful and interesting reference book. My only word of advice is if you are pondering the purchase, pick up the paperback version instead. I found myself struggling with the Kindle format making it difficult to flip back and forth. (I’ve since purchased the paper version as well.)
Brick Pickle Media 