Pulp Magazine Authors and Literature Fans discussion

I've never been too big on short stories, though I've made some exceptions in the past and have become more interest of late into getting back into short stories. I have read quite a number of shorter works by Lovecraft, Howard, and a few other pulp-era writers, but my all-time favorite book of short works from the time period is Isaac Asimov's 900+ page "Before the Golden Age" which I have read probably 3x straight through in the past 30 years. He really does a great job of sifting through some of the great pre-Campbell era magazine SF, picking some real classics while also making it a very personal journey with his captivating personal asides and ruminations on the struggles of the fledgling SF genre during the Depression.

I know some of you are familiar with this great book; what are your thoughts, and what are some of your favorite anthologies from the pulp era?

Tomorrow's Children edited by Isaac Asimov is probably my favorite. I don't normally even like stories about kids all that much. The above link is to my review of it & lists all the stories & authors in it.

I don't have a particular favourite among clear-cut anthologies from the pulp era, but I like David G. Hartwell's The Dark Descent. It features a broad range of fine, dark short stories, from late 1800s to the present (1980s). Some pulp, some not--but most of it very interesting and fine.

Hartwell also has an interesting introduction, speaking about the horror/weird tale genre.

"The Dark Descent" is on my list of things to get; I have Hartwell's "The Ascent of Wonder" (hard science fiction) and have dipped a bit into it. I still feel ignorant enough of most kinds of literature that absolutely massive anthologies always impress me, knowing that I will have read very little from them. I like the encyclopedic feel of such things.

Science Fiction by Gaslight (Hyperion Press, 1974), edited by Sam Moskowitz, is a good selection of pulp science fiction, covering the years from 1891-1911. Moskowitz is something of a scholar in the field of early SF.

"The Dark Descent" is the best "genre" anthology I've run across. Actually, Hartwell, with his selections, does a great job expanding the idea of what is horror.

I agree with you, Steve, that Hartwell does a fine job of illustrating that "horror" is more than is commonly believed; and rightly so, IMO. He doesn't expand the traditional understanding of it merely for the sake of doing it, but because a horror tale can be so much more than a typical, commercially oriented labeling says. ("It says here on the blurb that it's a horror book--my, then it must be for teenagers and with gore for chok value."

His introduction does a fine job explaining the various categories of horror; and while I don't always agree with his placement of certain stories I still value his approach and sincerity.

I've read Asimov's "Before the Golden Age" also, and it's one of my all time favorite anthology collections, as much for Asimov's comments as for the great range of the stories themselves. I noted recently that one of the authors who had a couple of stories in the book, Charles R. Tanner has a story in the current issue of Black Gate magazine - "Tumithak and the Ancient World". I hadn't realized that Tanner's Tumithak stories were in print in the volume "Tumithak of the Corridors".
BTGA also has some other favorites of mine, most notably Donald Wandrei's "Colossus".
I have heard of The Dark Descent and both are anthologies I'm interested in, but have no idea when I'll be able to get around to them.

In the realm of mystery pulp stories, I've noted that a relatively new book out "The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps" edited by Otto Penzler looks like it has a really good cross section of many of the great hard boiled authors of the 20's through the 40's. Paul Cain, Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Norbert Davis, Raoul Whitfield, Cornell Woolrich, just to name a handful.

Meant to write The Dark Descent and "The Ascent of Wonder" in previous post.

I used to be especially fond of short stories; they provided the transition between the children's books I'd been reading and grown-up stories. The first "grown-up" book I purchased was a Lovecraft anthology titled _Cry Horror_. Short story collections are hard to find on the stands, now; publishers believe novels are an easier sell. Novels that are part of a trilogy are better still from their bottom line point of view.

Therefore, I am happy to learn of a new anthology of Lovecraft-inspired short stories _Eldritch Horrors_, collected by Danish anthologist Henrik Harksen. Some of the stories hew closely to tradition, others examine hitherto unexplored dimensions of that recondite theosophy.

As most here will know, the entire realm of Cthulhu mythos, which now approaches becoming an actual religion, began in the pages of one of the most famous of the Pulps, _Weird Tales_. http://www.lulu.com/content/54...

~ John Mayer

Oops. Heh, heh. I see that Henrik is actually a member of this group. Possibly my announcements, as they say in theater (not that I'm IN theater), have "stepped on his lines." Sorry about that.

~ John Mayer

Thanks for announcing this on my behalf, John. I haven't gotten around to it myself yet, so it's very appreciated:-)

I won't say much (those interested can check it out, and others don't need this down their throat, heh), but the anthology will be available at some later time through other online stores as well (hopefully incl. Amazon + Barnes & Noble, two major players) + through the website hplmythos.com too.

Just so you know it.

If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

(Oh--and, yes, I will get the book + info on GoodReads too; but again--time is against me, so I can't say exactly when... ugh...)

Congrats, Henrik. I look forward to reading it. Please let me know when it comes out. I'm tickled to hear about it.

I'm interested in getting a copy when it comes out as well. Congratulations Henrik :)

Same here. Henrik, that's great news!

Thanks, Jim, Steven and Steve. It's already available on lulu.com (see John's message), but sure, I'll let you know when it's available elsewhere:-)

Hope you've all had a Great Christmas and will get a Great New Year too.

My publisher, Trestle Press, wants me to announce that today only, the contemporary pulp noir anthology Brit Grit Too, edited by Paul D. Brazill and featuring 30 British writers, is on sale for 99 cents, U.S. You can read more about this offer at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/... . (A "buy one, get one free sale" on all Trestle Press titles is also going on through Jan. 22, so purchase of this collection will entitle you to a freebie of your choice, as well.