Hunting for pulp magazines can be rewarding and maddening in equal measure. The same issue might sell for a fraction of the price on one site as on another, and condition — which varies enormously with publications printed on cheap wood-pulp paper nearly a century ago — makes all the difference. We strongly recommend shopping around before committing to a purchase. Caveat emptor.
The sites listed below are some of the online locations where pulps and pulp-related publications are most often available. ThePulp.Net is not affiliated with any of them, none are paying to be listed here, and we can’t vouch for the quality of service you might receive. What we can say is that these are the places we’d look first.
Dealer sites appear in alphabetical order. If you know of a site that belongs here, please let us know.
- AbeBooks
- AbeBooks gives you the chance to search the wares of many book dealers. It’s a subsidiary of Amazon.com, so there is an overlap in listings.
- Adventure House
- John Gunnison’s Adventure House site gives visitors a chance to find out more about and order the pulp-reprint magazine High Adventure, original pulps, pulp references, and other pulp-related items.
- David T. Alexander Collectibles
- Long-time pulp dealer David T. Alexander’s website has an extensive listing of pulps, pulp memorabilia, and pulp reprints, in addition to comic books, other magazines, and movie items.
- Asgard Press
- Asgard Press specializes in calendars and posters. In addition to vintage college sports products, you’ll find a selection of pulp-related items — romance and science fiction — for order on its website.
- Bookery Fantasy
- Tim Cottrill’s store in Fairborn, Ohio, specializes in comics, pulps, books, collectibles, games, and toys and has been doing so since 1984. Tim is also the author of Bookery’s Guide to Pulps & Related Magazines.
- Books from the Crypt
- This online bookstore sells pulps and pulp-related books (as well as paperbacks, comics, and other ephemera) through its website.
- Bud’s Art Books
- Formerly Bud Plant Comic Art, Bud’s Art Books features a variety of pulp-related items (books, statues, posters, etc.). Despite talk of closing down, Bud’s Art Books is still around. There are no more catalogs, but the company’s website is open 24 hours a day.
- Books Are Everything
- Graham Holroyd’s site has information on the pulps, magazines, and science-fiction and fantasy books he carries.
- Mike Chomko Books
- Mike Chomko distributes many pulp-related publications, reprints, facsimiles, and more from other publishers, often at a discount. Check out his site for his monthly listing.
- Cold Tonnage Books
- Cold Tonnage Books, of Surrey, England, specializes in science fiction, fantasy, supernatural, and horror fiction, including pulp magazines.
- ComicConnect
- The title indicates its primary focus, but ComicConnect also lists pulp magazines among its offerings. Note that a 15-percent buyer’s premium is added to winning bids.
- Curious Book Shop
- Curious Book Shop of East Lansing, Mich., lists a good selection of pulp magazines on its website. You’ll also find science-fiction books, original art, and more.
- eBay online auctions
- Quite likely the hub of pulp sales activity on the web, eBay offers auctions for pulps, pulp reprints, collectibles, and some memorabilia. Search for “pulp” or a specific name or character to find items for sale.
- Fantasy Illustrated
- Fantasy Illustrated, run by Dave Smith in Mill Creek, Wash., deals in pulp magazines, science-fiction and fantasy books, first editions, Big Little Books, vintage comic books, and paperbacks.
- Fantom Press
- Terry Allen’s Fantom Press offers a wide range of limited-edition pulp-related merchandise, much of it in association with artist Bob Larkin, who painted a number of Bantam Books’ Doc Savage paperback covers. You’ll find numerous signed items and prints, with an emphasis on the Man of Bronze.
- Grapefruit Moon Gallery
- This Minneapolis, Minn., online gallery sells a variety of original, vintage paintings, illustrations, photographs, and other art pieces. In addition to pin-up, glamour, advertising, and movie artwork, original pulp paintings are listed.
- Hake’s Americana & Collectibles
- Here’s a good source for pulps and rare pulp-related memorabilia, such as club pins, movie items, etc.
- Heartwood Books and Art
- Heartwood Books and Art carries a range of pulp magazines through its online catalog, along with comics, men’s adventure magazines, and other vintage periodicals.
- Heritage Auctions
- For years, Heritage Auctions has been auctioning off pulps, including pulp collections.
- Metropolis Collectibles
- Metropolis Collectibles sells and auctions a variety of items — comics, original art, props, and toys — but also pulp magazines. It also operates as ComicConnect.
- MPB.auction
- Rich Halegua’s MPB.auction takes over from his Movie Poster Bid site. While focusing on movie posters, MPB also lists pulp magazines, comics, and comic art.
- MyComicShop.com
- Lone Star Comics has been selling comics since 1961 and on the web since 1996. Despite the name, MyComicShop.com maintains a substantial dedicated section for pulp magazines — searchable by title, publisher, and condition — with both fixed-price listings and auctions.
- PBA Galleries
- This San Francisco auction house offers regular online auctions, which may contain pulp magazines.
- University of Wisconsin Press
- The Popular Press was formerly the publishing arm of Bowling Green State University in Ohio, but moved under the auspices of the University of Wisconsin Press. It published much of Robert Sampson’s pulp studies, including his thorough books The Night Master and The Spider. A few of Sampson’s books, including some of his Yesterday’s Faces series, may still be available.
- PulpWorld
- Rich Halegua buys and sells pulp magazines through his PulpWorld website. There’s also a history of the pulps and a pulp timeline, as well as links to his comic art and movie poster sites.
- Rare Pulps
- Rare Pulps specializes in original vintage pulp magazines, with an emphasis on issues featuring notable first appearances and stories by authors such as H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Ray Bradbury. The site offers both fixed-price sales and auctions, and includes a collector analytics tool for tracking CGC grades and issue scarcity.
- Robot Gangster
- Looking for authorized t-shirts featuring classic Popular Publications characters such as The Spider, G-8, and Operator #5? Here’s your site. These aren’t simply pulp magazine covers on t-shirts, but rather clever artwork, icons, and logos.
- Steeger Books
- Though primarily a pulp reprint and reference book publisher, Steeger Books (formerly Altus Press) often has pulps for sale through its website. Look for the “Pulp Magazines” link under the Products menu.
- TIAS.com Fine Antiques and Collectibles on the Web
- This online antiques mall includes a Paper and Ephemera section for magazines. Searching within this category for “pulps” — or a more specific search term — can turn up listings.
- Vintage Pulps
- Pulp dealer David Lindman’s website, Vintage Pulps, lists for sale pulp magazines, pulp reprints, and hardback and paperback books. He also buys pulps and presents his grading standards for pulp magazines.
- Vinylz Art
- This New Jersey company offers canvas posters of selected covers from The Ghost Super-Detective, Unknown, and Unknown Worlds pulps, as well as Astounding and other science-fiction digests.
- Zardoz Books
- This British bookstore features a variety of pulps and pulp-related books. You can browse, as well as search, their stock. It is run by Maurice Flanagan, who publishes Paperbacks, Pulps, and Comics.
