A Must Guide for Collecting Pulps

Things are settling down now on the homefront, giving me more time to get back to catching up on my reading. Right before I moved, I received in the mail Ed Hulse's Blood 'n' Thunder Guide to Collecting Pulps. I wanted to start reading it right away, but had to wait until the craziness of moving had dissipated somewhat. Now I'm about halfway through, and I couldn't wait to post something about this book. For those that are interested in the history of pulp fiction or are wanting to start collecting pulp magazines, or both, this book should definitely be on your list. Ed goes beyond the standard history of pulps that you find in most general pulp history books and goes into details of the history of the magazines, the writers, the editors, the characters, what stories he recommends, and how the value of the titles have increased over the years and which issues or years are considered the most collectible.

So the book accomplishes a very difficult task: to give the reader a general history of the pulp magazines and the quality of the stories and the writers who contributed on a regular basis, and also discuss the collection of the physical magazines themselves.

Ed gives his opinion freely but there is years of experience behind his opinions. Many pulp magazine historians and collectors have known about The Blood 'n' Thunder quarterly magazine, of which Ed is the editor; so he has been at this for a very long time. He write in the introduction that "It's our belief that this guide will be helpful to those just entering the hobby and entertaining to veteran collectors." The intro goes on to say that the book does not attempt to be a pricing guide for pulps, and wisely so. For one thing, trying to attach actual dollar amounts to a pulp in a published book would immediately date the book and the prices would be outdated before the book even hit the stands, and anyone who regularly checks with eBay or other online auction sites know that prices can fluctuate wildly from week to week.

For those that are intersted in obtaining a copy of The Blood 'n' Thunder Guide to Collecting Pulps, you can contact Ed at bnteditor@yahoo.com. He is in the middle of revamping his Web site, so the best way to contact him is through email at this point. BnT magazine subscriptions and back issues can also be ordered through Ed.