The Appeal of Pulp Fiction Stories and Audiobooks

For many the words “Pulp Fiction” refers to the movie starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis. While the movie was a success and helped resurrect John Travolta’s career, there was another form of Pulp Fiction that captured the imagination of millions of fans.

It all began in the early 1900s where well known and budding writers and illustrators began churning out fantastic stories and characters on cheap pulp wood paper (hence pulp fiction). The first and second world war demanded the public be economically minded and cheap disposable pulp paper fit perfectly for that time period. It was also a time where the entertainment value of the pulp magazines fulfilled the need for the war weary and depressed economy people were dealing with. It was a welcome break to experience a swashbuckling high sea adventure or exotic locations and cultures one would normally be unfamiliar with. So popular were these magazines that it was not uncommon for over a million copies flying off the shelves when the next issue came out.

Historically, stories were passed down orally about dramatic events and personas that were relayed to preserve the past. Humanity has always loved a good story teller and it is no different today. However, there is something quite unique and special about our pulp fiction era. The genres were expanded upon which was very well received by the reading audience. It was the era of “Sherlock Holmes,” “Tarzan,” “Zorro,” “The Phantom,” “Spiderman,” “Superman,” Etc. Pre 1900s delivered some of the most beloved classics but pulp fiction gave birth to the superhero! Indeed it was the pulps that were the precursor to the comic book era.

It was not just the birth of the super hero; it was also the expansion of the genres such as detective stories developed to “hard boiled detective, crime and gagsters, spicy detective and courtroom battles. We read horror, fantasy (including dark fantasy), and science fiction like we had never experienced before. The western genre was very popular as was high sea and air adventure, far flung adventure and tales from the orient.

The old classics typically were leather bound and inscribed but the pulps were sensationally illustrated. This gave potential buyers instant access to the nature of the story and boy did it work! One hundred years later we still use the same formula of illustrating the covers because it still works. However the pulp magazine covers were by far much more dramatic and colorful than today’s more conservative illustrations. These books and magazines are highly prized collectors items not just because of the stories but for the original art work.

This era cultivated some of the best writers that are still recognizable today such as; Edgar Rice Burroughs who was best known for the “Tarzan” series but he also wrote in science fiction, adventure and the western genre. Dashiell Hammett was famous for his hardboiled detective and crime stories, Lester Dent was known for having penned most of the “Doc Savage” adventure stories and some writers such as L. Ron Hubbard was a master of all genres. These and many more writers were leaders in their field and have paved the way for future writers to create exciting new adventures for us all. It is well worth it to acquaint oneself with these classic if not sometimes corny (i.e. superhero’s) but absolutely wonderful stories.

The Appeal of Pulp Fiction Stories and Audiobooks