Friday’s edition of PulpFest 2016 got underway with early registration at 9 a.m, with the dealers’ room opening at 10.
A sudden rainstorm blew through the area, which may have delayed some folks because traffic through the dealers’ room seemed slow for several hours.
There is a lot of construction going on in the hotel, which means that the dealers’ room is in a different location from previous years. It’s a bit farther away and not quite as obvious or convenient.
By noon, all the dealers were set up and ready for the weekend. I made a quick reconnaissance run up and down the aisles, just to get an idea of what was out there.
I don’t have an extensive want-list this year, so I’m just keeping my eyes open for things that look interesting.
By mid-afternoon, I made another round and took some photos. A few are in the gallery below.
The day’s shopping activities began winding down by 4:30 p.m., so several of us — Bill Mann, brothers Chris and David Kalb, Chuck Welch and his daughter, brothers Scott and Patrick Cranford, and Tom Krabacher — walked across the street to the standard go-to dining spot, Max & Erma’s, for dinner.
The evening’s programming began shortly before 7 p.m. with a welcome message from PulpFest committee chairman Jack Cullers, followed by a panel discussion that was part of FarmerCon XI. Paul Spiteri moderated a discussion titled “Collaborating with Philip Jose Farmer” with Christopher Paul Carey, Win Scott Eckert, and Danny Adams. Unfortunately, due to having to move my car in the parking garage I arrived after the discussion had started. (They will be pressure-washing several floors and the hotel asked people who had parked on those levels to move.)
David Saunders talked about “The Artists of The Argosy,” which transformed into the first pulp magazine 120 years ago in 1896. After his presentation, PulpFest awarded David with a retro Lamont Award for his contributions to the pulp field, presented by previous winner Steve Miller.
Joseph Coluccio, president of the Pittsburgh Area Fantasy and Science Fiction Club, traced the history of “Amazing Stories, the First SF Pulp.” Unfortunate technical problems delayed portions of his presentation, but he managed to remain upbeat and give an interesting look at the magazine’s pulp era.
The next two programs fell under the theme “A Century of the Specialty Pulp.”
Laurie Powers took the stage about a half-hour late to tell the story of “Love Story Magazine and the Romance Pulp Phenomenon.” The romance pulps were among the best-selling pulp magazines, but are often ignored or forgotten by many collectors. Laurie, who is writing a biography of Love Story editor Daisy Bacon, talked about a rivalry between Bacon and Amita Fairgrieve, who was editor All-Story Love and a former editor of Love Story.
The final program for the evening focused on “Western Story Magazine and the Evolution of the Pulp Western.” Ed Hulse, publisher at Murania Press, and Walker Martin substituted for pulp historian Will Murray, who was unable to attend PulpFest at the last minute.
The day’s events wrapped up a bit later than expected at 11:45 p.m.
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