One of the pulp fanzines I got when I first became involved in pulp fandom was Doug Ellis‘ excellent Pulp Vault.
Put out under his Tattered Pages Press, Pulp Vault was always a quality zine that improved over time to being one of the top-quality pulp fanzines of the time. I was able to obtain a couple of issues that were available at the time (#10 and #11), and recently I’ve been able to obtain some of the others. I am just missing 1 issue.
All issues are 8.5-inches by 11-inches, the first saddle stitched, then square-bound starting with #10, which also included coated covers as well as spot color on the cover. Issues #12/13 and #14 have full-color covers. Many issues had covers by Frank Hamilton, who also designed the Pulp Vault logo, which first appeared with issue #3; and interior art was by Hamilton and others.
The zine launched in 1988 with three issues, with another three issues in 1989. Then it started appearing about once a year until #11 in 1993, after which it was three more years until we got #12/13.
Sometime after that “last issue,” another issue was put out through Black Dog Books as a large-format book: Pulp Vault #14. As I’ve already reviewed that issue, I won’t cover it here.
Pulp Vault was always a mix of high-quality non-fiction, along with fiction reprints (which were often tied to some of the articles). When it started out, the intention was to be 2:1 in terms of fiction to non-fiction. But notable it was able to put out an unpublished Whisperer novel and the last unpublished Doctor Death novel, each over two issues.
All issues had Link Hullar‘s column “Pulpwoody Contemplations.” Later ones had assistance on these from Nick Carr.
• Issue #1 (February 1988). With a photo of Lester Dent on the cover, we get an excerpt from a biography of him by Will Murray. Rick Lai has an article on Robert E. Howard’s Steve Harrison. For fiction we get one of the Zenith Rand, Planet Vigilante stories, 2 Avenger radio scripts, and the first of two-part reprint of The Sapphire Death, a Peter the Brazen story.
• Issue #2 (May 1988). This issue focused on Ryerson Johnson, so we get an article by Ryerson on his pulp career, and another on the American Fiction Guild. Will Murray gives an article on him, and we get a Western tale by him. For other fiction, we get two more Avenger radio scripts.
• Issue #3 (September 1989). This issue focused on Lester Dent. So we get another except from a bio on him by Murray, a bibliography compiled by Murray, and a previously unpublished adventure story by Dent, set in the Alaska wilds. Rounding out the issue, we have another of Rick Lai’s articles, this one looking at the links between Fu Manchu and Shiwan Khan. For fiction, we get another Avenger radio script and a Ki-Gor story.
Issue #4 also came out in 1989. Sadly, I don’t have this issue yet. For reprints, we get a story from Planet Stories, an Avenger radio script, and one of the Black Hood pulp stories.
• Issue #5 (June 1989). The highlight, and cover feature, of this issue was the first of the two-part publication of the second unpublished Doctor Death novel, “The Red Mist of Death.” It would later be reprinted in the second Altus Press volume of the Doctor Death series. It’s introduced with an article on Doctor Death by Don Hutchison. Other fiction is a work by W. Wirt, featuring his character Jimmie Cordie from Argosy, along with an article by Doug Ellis on him (maybe Altus Press will reprint this series, which had about 20 stories), and the last of the available Avenger radio scripts.
For non-fiction, we get a reminiscence from sf author Don Wilcox, along with a checklist of his works. Rick Lai gives an overview of Robert E. Howard‘s El Borak. Nick Carr provides another look at Western heroes. Robert Weinberg looks at “the problems with pulp research.” An interview with Talmage Powell, who wrote pulp mysteries until the end of the pulps, is provided by Al Tonik.
• Issue #6 (November 1989). This issue’s cover featured Kioga, a Tarzan-like character set on an Arctic island, by Frank Hamilton. We get an article on this character who appeared in pulps, was reprinted in paperbacks, and had a movie serial. We also get a centerfold of artwork of him by Hamilton, printed on slick paper. Other articles include looks at the nautical pulps of Gernsback, and at Captain Luigi Caradosso, a long-running series character from Adventure. Nick Carr looks into finding the first issues of pulps. Fred Cook takes a brief look author Ed Hamilton, from whom we also get a story reprint.
• Issue #7 (May 1990). This one has a nice Hamilton cover. Sam Moskowitz provides an interesting article based on a series of interviews with retired Street & Smith editor John Nanovic. Ryerson Johnson tells us about writing western pulp tales. Nick Carr then dissects his western character, Len Siringo. And Jerry Page takes a look at an issue of Star Western. We take a look at Fantastic Story Quarterly, a pulp that featured both new and reprinted stories. Will Murray writes about Doc Savage‘s eyes. Audrey Parente gives us a biographic overview of Robert W. Barlow, a pulp fan and author who became literary executor for H.P. Lovecraft. Don Hutchison writes on artist John Fleming Gould, with lots of examples of his works.
For fiction, we get a Talbot Mundy tale set in Roman times, another in medieval Italy by F.R. Buckley, and a Domino Lady tale.
• Issue #8 (January 1991). Frank Hamilton gives us a cover with The Shadow. Will Murray gives us a pair of articles. First is a “bio” of Bill Barnes, Street & Smith’s air adventure pulp hero, along with a checklist of stories and a short article on Barnes’ main author, Charles Spain Verral. He then does an interview with Ryerson Johnson, who was the Pulpcon 19 guest of honor. Ellis writes about searching for the short-lived pulp Golden Fleece, and includes an index of issues. Jerry Page writes about lesser-known pulp author William R. Cox. Sam Moskowitz provides information on some lesser-known Gernsback “magazines,” actually dummy or ashcan editions. Audrey Parente, who wrote a biography on Judson P. Philips, provides an overview of his long-running series, The Park Avenue Hunt Club. The Four Palladins, a group of WWI air aces published in Wings, is checked out by Nick Carr. Paul Chadwick‘s Wade Hammond, whom I’ve previously reviewed, gets a lookover by Garyn G. Roberts. There is a report on Pulpcon 19.
For fiction this issue, we get a Wade Hammond story, “Steel Corpse”; “Manhattan Corpse-Peddler” by William R. Cox; and “Swain Kingsbane” by Arthur D. Howden Smith from Adventure.
• Issue #9 (Oct 1991). Nick Carr and Link Hullar provide a look at Captain Zero, the invisible pulp hero, since reprinted by Altus Press. Doug Ellis has an interesting look at law enforcement in the period of The Shadow. Al Tonik looks at another pulp artist, Rudolph Belarski, along with a listing of his cover artwork and several samples. We get an interview with Will Murray. Another looks at Simon Wright, one of the aides to Captain Future who exists as a disembodied brain in a box.
And the big fiction item is the first of a two-part publication of “Heritage of Death,” an unpublished The Whisperer novel! It has some great Hamilton artwork. The other piece of fiction is a western tale by Les Savage Jr., creator of Senorita Scorpion. We also get a good overview article on him and a bibliography.
• Issue #10 (Mar 1992). This one gives us a cover reminiscent of the second run of The Whisperer magazine. Appropriate since the issue includes the second part of “Heritage of Death.”
Nick Carr provides a detailed look at The Park Avenue Hunt Club. Will Murray gives us a look into writing a new Doc Savage novel, Python Isle, and includes the original outline by Lester Dent. Another article provides a look into the war-time pulps of British publisher Hutchinson; there’s also an index. We also learn about Eerie Tales, a Canadian fantasy pulp. The strange dialog of Dan Turner, who appeared in the spicy pulps, is the subject of another. Richard Bleiler provides a look into the nautical tales by British pulp author Bill Adams, along with a list of his works in Adventure.
• Issue #11 (June 1993). Frederick Pohl was guest of honor at Pulpcon 21, and we get his speech, which provides an interesting personal history in the pulps. Theodore Roscoe provides a “Q & A” from the same con. Will Murray looks at the adventurers who appeared in Spicy Adventures. Sam Moskowitz checks out The Witch’s Tales magazine. Nick Carr provides another look at western pulp heroes. One article looks at pulp magazines that changed their names. Another looks at pulp sf author Ray Cummings. Rick Lai gives a Wold Newton-esque look at Captain Nemo. Frederick Davis and Moon Man are the subjects of another, and we get a reprint of a Moon Man story. Another reprint is one of Lester Dent’s Crime Spectacularist story. Both series have been reprinted by Altus Press. We also get a two-page spread of Doc Savage art by Hamilton.
• Issue #12/13 (August 1996). This double-issue gives us a full-color cover by Paul McCall. Inside we again have a speech from a Pulpcon guest of honor, this time Bruce Cassiday from Pulpcon #23. Frank Belknap Long is the focus of another article, that includes a listing of his fiction. Rick Lai provides an article on Yasmini, a character from several of Talbot Mundy‘s works. Mundy is most well-known for King of the Kyber Rifles. John Locke provides a fairly complete index of all the pulp magazines, giving their first and last date of publication, publisher, name changes, etc. Will Murray gives information on Richard Sale, who recently passed away. Don Hutchison gives info on the early pulp hero, the Gray Seal. Nick Carr looks at another western character, Len Siringo. Everett Bleiler checks out the one Flash Gordon pulp that I previously posted on. Other articles look at Thunder Jim Wade (now available from Altus Press), the various authors who wrote as Maxwell Grant, and the Bermuda Triangle theme in pulp fiction.
For fiction, we get a lost Curt Flagg story by Lester Dent, along with an intro by Will Murray. We get one of Hugh B. Cave’s “Tsiang House” stories (one not reprinted in the collection of these stories from Tattered Pages Press) along with a listing of his pulp stories. Doug Ellis provides an article on serial character “Shark” Gotch, along with a story. And we get a short Ryerson Johnson tale.
It was a great fanzine. I wish Doug had continued it as an annual series of books. And I wish that someone would reprint the great articles by Link Hullar, Nick Carr, Fred Cook, and others. These should not be lost to current fans.
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