I have posted about a few literary societies here and felt a post on several of these would be a good idea.
By “literary society,” I mean a group of fans of a particular author or character who have come together in an organization that publishes a journal and/or newsletter, possibly organizes meetings, and maybe publishes other items.
I have gathered here several that are both pulp-related and “pulp-adjacent,” as the authors’ works influenced pulp writers. If I missed any that you think should have been included, please comment on this post.
The Weird Tales boys
First up, let’s look at the groups around the “Weird Tales Boys” of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith.
For HPL, there really isn’t such a group. While there is the H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society that you can join, it doesn’t publish a newsletter or journal, though it puts out other great things. The closest thing to a literary journal for HPL would probably be the Lovecraft Annual, published by Hippocampus Press, and, for more scholarly works, the biannual Lovecraft Proceedings from the same publisher.
For REH, there is the Robert E. Howard Foundation, which you can join and receive its wonderful newsletter. It is also working to bring into print all of REH’s works not done by Del Rey Books. Further, it is working to help preserve the Robert E. Howard House, as well as support the annual Howard Days in Cross Plains, Texas.
Unfortunately, I am not aware of any group devoted to CAS. I should mention the new Friends of August Derleth, as the August Derleth Society has recently gone defunct. The Friends of August Derleth has a website where you can sign up, plans to put out a newsletter, and will be involved with bringing the works of Derleth back into print going forward. Be advised that the ADS still has its website up, so don’t make the mistake of confusing them.
The detectives
So if you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, you may be aware of the Baker Street Irregulars (BSI). Not the group of kids in the stories, but the fans of Holmes. The group is a “by-invitation-only” organization; however, there are many “scion societies” (subgroups) around the country and the world that you can join. Also, it publishes the quarterly Baker Street Journal, which anyone can subscribe to, and several books that are available to all.
For fans of Solar Pons, the sort of Holmes “pastiche” created by August Derleth, there is the Praed Street Irregulars, again a “by-invitation-only” group. But its annual journal, the Pontine Dossier, is available to anyone on Amazon.
While Nero Wolfe wasn’t published in the pulps, his creator, Rex Stout, did start there. Nero Wolfe appeared in about 60 novels and shorter works by Stout, along with new authorized works. He rarely leaves his West 35th Street brownstone, where he tends his orchids and eats gourmet meals prepared by his private chef, while his assistant, Archie Goodwin, runs around for him. For his fans, there is the Wolfe Pack: The Official Nero Wolfe Literary Society, which publishes a very nice twice-a-year journal, The Gazette, along with a monthly email newsletter. It also organizes events and has other activities. If you’re curious about what it has published, there are two volumes from Wildside Press that reprint articles from the journal: The Archie Goodwin Files and The Nero Wolfe Files. And the group is working on a third volume.
And I guess this is a good place to mention the Arthur Conan Doyle Society (or ACD Society), which puts out a nice newsletter three times a year and has a few events. It has some involvement with the annual scholarly journal focused on Arthur Conan Doyle and Holmes studies, Steel True, Blade Straight, which I have been reviewing here.
Science fiction/fantasy
I have mentioned the Burroughs Bibliophiles, which is an official fan club for Edgar Rice Burroughs. It puts out a very nice journal, The Burroughs Bulletin, along with a monthly newsletter. It also holds annual events. There are several local groups associated with it, some of which publish their own newsletters or journals.
For science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein, there is The Heinlein Society. It puts out a journal and supports several philanthropic works. Check out its website to see what it is doing.
For author H.G. Wells, whose works regularly appeared in the pulps, there is the H.G. Wells Society in the U.K. It puts out an annual journal and a biannual newsletter, and organizes an annual conference.
Early science-fiction author Jules Verne has several groups devoted to him. I think most people should check out the North American Jules Verne Society, which puts out a quarterly journal, Extraordinary Voyages, and organizes an annual four-day meeting/conference. It also works to get Verne’s lesser-known works published in English.
H. Rider Haggard is considered the creator of the “lost race” story and the creator of Allan Quatermain and She. There is the Rider Haggard Society in the U.K., which puts out The Haggard Journal three times a year and newsletters by email. It also organizes events in the U.K.
Fantasy author Arthur Machen had an influence on H.P. Lovecraft, and for those who also enjoy him, there is the Friends of Arthur Machen in the U.K. It puts out a biannual hardcover journal and a biannual newsletter. It has an annual event in the U.K., and there have been attempts to do something similar in the U.S.
And another author I should mention is Harry Stephen Keeler. He started out as an author and editor in pulp magazines, but is probably best known for his “webwork” mysteries, which have given him a cult following. There is the Harry Stephen Keeler Society, which puts out a newsletter. It also put out a collection of his articles on his webwork style, which is available as a book from Amazon, along with collections of the newsletter.
So check out these groups and consider joining one or two.
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