In addition to the pulp magazines themselves, I want to remember the men and women who produced those all-fiction magazines that we love.
They wrote. They edited. They drew. They painted. They published. And they did so much more to get the pulps into the hands of readers.
Sure, it was a business. Many weren’t in it as “artists” — to create a long-lasting impact on popular culture. No, most were in the pulpwood trade to earn money to put food on the table, pay the rent, or — for the more successful ones — have a summer home in Florida.
I don’t know if you follow ThePulp.Net on Twitter, but you should.
Almost every day, we mark the births and deaths of the original pulpsters with tweets. As examples, I’ve interspersed a few from the past month within this post.
Editor Arthur Sullivant Hoffman was born on this date (Sept. 28) in 1876 #pulpmags #adventure
— ThePulpNet (@ThePulpNet) September 28, 2014
Even if you don’t have a Twitter account, you can still see ThePulp.Net‘s Twitter feed. The tweets are also posted on ThePulp.Net‘s Facebook page, and the latest tweet shows up on the right side of the footer on each page at ThePulp.Net.
I keep a spreadsheet of pulpster names, birth dates, death dates, ages, and incidental notes. Then toward the end of each month, I do a bit of sorting and save a collection of names that will be posted during the coming month. I’m working on the October dates right now, which is what prompted this post.
Fictioneer Paul Ernst died on this date (Sept. 21) in 1985. He was 85. #pulpmags #theavenger #weirdtales
— ThePulpNet (@ThePulpNet) September 21, 2014
I have 525 names on the list. I probably should say: I have only 525 names on the list. Because 525 is only a drop in the bucket of folks who produced the pulps.
That number is slowly growing. I update the spreadsheet fairly regularly as I come across someone who isn’t on the list, confirm a birth or death date, or — sadly — update with someone’s death.
Artist Earle Bergey died on this date (Sept. 30) in 1952. He was 51. #pulpmags
— ThePulpNet (@ThePulpNet) September 30, 2014
Pull out any pulp you have. I’d guess that only a few of the names in it are listed in my spreadsheet. So many of the creators are just names on a page; we don’t really know who they were. Of course, if you notice someone that we’ve missed or have information to share about a pulpster, please let me know. I’d like to include as many of them in the tweets as possible.
I look at these tweets as a small way to remember and honor those original pulpsters. I hope you will, too.
Great project you started here, William. Two thumbs up.