Longtime pulp collector and historian Robert Weinberg died Sunday, Sept. 25, 2016. He had been in poor health for a number of years.
In addition to being a fiction and comic-book writer and book dealer, Weinberg edited or co-edited a number of pulp-related reprint anthologies, including his Pulp Classics chapbook series, Hard-Boiled Detectives: 23 Great Stories from ‘Dime Detective Magazine’, Tough Guys and Dangerous Dames, and Rivals of ‘Weird Tales’.”
He also published Pulp, a chapbook fanzine on the pulps from 1970 through 1981, and wrote The ‘Weird Tales’ Story, a history of the “Unique Magazine” in 1977.
Weinberg, who was born Aug. 29, 1946, was 70.
Just yesterday I was looking in at an advertisement for Robert Weinberg’s mail-order business in a 1973 issue of ERB-Dom. The ad was, for me, a relic of the past washed up on the shores of today. Since I had admired how Bob had been successful at so many things on into the 21st Century, I thought about how Weinberg stood out even then those many years ago.
Just yesterday I did not know that Bob Weinberg died two months ago. I did not know he had been ill and when I read today that he had died in September I was stunned. I felt the unexpected loss, knowing that his trajectory pushing pulp magazines forward and beyond had ended.
Of course the greatest sorrow was to Bob’s family and friends since Bob Weinberg, the man, had died. On Weinberg’s website, which does not appear to be up-dated since 2009; a page about Bob being one of the Guests of Honor at the 2005 World Fantasy Convention has an article by Bob’s wife Phyllis Weinberg, originally published in the convention program booklet, that recounts their life together over the years (http://www.robertweinberg.net/wfc2005.htm). A report of his life, like this one, without mention or knowledge of his death might make the best obituary.
I doubt I exchanged more than a half dozen letters with Bob so my relationship was more one with his work than it was with the man. I believe my first introduction to his work was when Lester Dent’s widow sent me a copy of The Man Behind Doc Savage, A Tribute to Lester Dent, published by Weinberg. In the latter 1970s, receiving his catalogue by mail listing for sale pulp magazine-related books was a treat where I would avidly read each listing, educating myself about pulp magazines and wishing for all the books I could not afford to buy.
Bob seems to have made a good living off his book-selling business before he gave it up in 1997, and why should he have not made some good coin at it for quality product requires a price that reflects that. Bob also had quality that money cannot buy. He had a quality life.