Beginning with Xenophile editor Nils Hardin, the annual summer pulp con has recognized the efforts of those who work to keep the pulps alive for this and future generations. At Pulpcon, this was done through its Lamont Award. When PulpFest began in 2009, it sought to broaden the focus of the achievement by renaming it the Munsey Award. Named after Frank A. Munsey, the man who published the first pulp magazine, this annual award recognizes an individual or institution that has bettered the pulp community, be it through disseminating knowledge about the pulps or through publishing or other efforts to preserve and to foster interest in the pulp magazines we all love and enjoy.
In 2012, PulpFest added the Rusty Hevelin Service Award, named for the man who had guided Pulpcon for most of its existence. This award is designed to recognize those persons who have worked long and hard for the pulp community with little thought for individual recognition. It is meant to reward largely quiet and unheralded work and is reserved for those individuals who are most deserving.
Below you will find a list of the recipients of these three awards. Members of this group form the panel of judges who, each year, vote for the recipient of PulpFest‘s Munsey and/or Rusty Award, selected from the nominees forwarded to them by the general pulp community.
Munsey Award Winners
PulpFest 2024, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Gene Christie, has extensively studied and indexed the magazines of the pulp era, especially those published by the Frank A. Munsey Company. Never too busy or tired to help, Gene has volunteered his time, knowledge, and editorial abilities, contributing to projects published by Adventure House, Off-Trail Publications, Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, and others. He annually volunteers at the Windy City Pulp and Paper Convention, in addition to proofing their program book, and has been a long-time attendee at other pulp-related conventions. In conjunction with Black Dog Books, he has compiled and edited several rare and previously unreprinted works, including Cornell Woolrich’s The Good Die Young, George Allan England’s The Empire in the Air, Seabury Quinn’s Demons of the Night, Murray Leinster’s The Silver Menace, and the excellent Munsey anthologies The Space Annihilator and The People of the Pit. He also served as the editor for Black Dog Books’ Talbot Mundy Library. A researcher of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and adventure fiction for over thirty years, Gene offered PulpFest 2019 attendees a wonderful presentation on Robert Hobart Davis, considered by many to be the greatest editor of the pulp magazine era.
PulpFest 2023, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Richard Bleiler is a bibliographer and researcher in the areas of science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime, and adventure fiction. In 2002, he was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction for the second edition of Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror. With his father, Everett Bleiler, Richard compiled Science Fiction: The Early Years and Science Fiction: The Gernsback Years, both published by Kent State University Press. His other work includes The Index to Adventure Magazine, The Annotated Index to The Thrill Book, the second edition of Science Fiction Writers: Critical Studies of the Major Authors from the Early Nineteenth Century to the Present Day, and Reference and Research Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction. Richard’s essay, “Forgotten Giant: A Brief History of Adventure Magazine,” originally published in Extrapolation: A Journal of Science Fiction and Fantasy, is considered the finest overview of the classic pulp magazine. He has also written essays on early science fiction, fantasy, and mystery authors for The Dictionary of Literary Biography and other reference works, as well as articles on the writings of Frank Belknap Long and Clark Ashton Smith for Gary Hoppenstand’s Pulp Fiction of the 20s and 30s. Richard is the Collections and Humanities Librarian at the University of Connecticut.
PulpFest 50, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Rick Lai has dedicated much of his adult life and disposable income to his passion for collecting pulp fiction (in all its permutations). Rick distinguished himself with the erudite and insightful scholarship that has made him respected among Wold Newtonians and purists alike. Rick’s speculative theories on character and continuity may have been inspired by Philip José Farmer, but were never bound by Farmer or anyone else’s parameters. Rick’s brilliant and provocative flights of fantasy informed, inspired, and even infuriated readers, but kept them coming back for the next article or book. Later in life, Rick made the natural progression from scholar to storyteller as he began creating works that supplement and expand upon his literary speculations. Among his many books are Chronology of Shadows: A Timeline of The Shadow’s Exploits, The Return of Judex, The Revised Complete Chronology of Bronze, Rick Lai’s Secret Histories: Daring Adventurers, Rick Lai’s Secret Histories: Criminal Masterminds, and Shadows of the Opera: Retribution in Blood. Rick has also presented at PulpFest and written many articles for The Pulp Collector, Pulp Vault, Echoes, Blood ‘n’ Thunder, and other periodicals. To learn more about Rick Lai, read “PulpFest Profile — The Shadow of Rick Lai.”
PulpFest 2021, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Rich Harvey was one of the first small publishers to get the pulp reprint movement of the last few decades off the ground. He started in the pages of PULP ADVENTURES — a fanzine that he launched in 1992 — where he published stories from a wide variety of pulp magazines. Later — with his onetime partner, the late Cat Jaster — he began to reprint the adventures of the popular pulp hero The Spider. As Bold Venture Press, Rich has published a six-volume series reprinting the complete run of Johnston McCulley’s Zorro tales; reprinted unique tales from one of the longest-lived pulp magazines, RAILROAD STORIES; published “new pulp” adventures in AWESOME TALES and other publications; and pulp old and new in the continuing PULP ADVENTURES. In 2020, he was the publisher of ZORRO: THE DARING ESCAPADES, an anthology of sixteen all-new adventures from multiple authors, based on the legendary character created by Johnston McCulley.
Along with his current partner, Audrey Parente, Rich manages Pulp AdventureCon, a one-day event that helps to bring the world of pulp to a range of fans. Rich is also great at personally communicating with fans one-on-one, whether by email or through social media.
PulpFest 2020, Virtual Award Announcement — Mike Ashley is an author, bibliographer, critic, editor, and historian with a special expertise in the history of magazine science fiction, fantasy, and weird fiction. In 2002, he received a Pilgrim Award from the Science Fiction Research Association in recognition of his distinguished contributions to the study of science fiction. He is the author or co-author of numerous works related to the pulps, science fiction, and fantasy. These include THE AGE OF THE STORYTELLERS: BRITISH POPULAR FICTION MAGAZINES, 1880-1950, ALGERNON BLACKWOOD: A BIO-BIBLIOGRAPHY, “BLUE BOOK — The Slick in Pulp Clothing,” THE GERNSBACK DAYS: A STUDY IN THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN SCIENCE FICTION FROM 1911 TO 1936, MONTHLY TERRORS: AN INDEX TO THE WEIRD FANTASY MAGAZINES PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN, SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND WEIRD FICTION MAGAZINES, THE SUPERNATURAL INDEX: A LISTING OF FANTASY, SUPERNATURAL, OCCULT, WEIRD AND HORROR ANTHOLOGIES, and others. In 2000, Ashley began to publish his multi-part THE HISTORY OF THE SCIENCE-FICTION MAGAZINES, beginning with THE TIME MACHINES: THE STORY OF THE SCIENCE-FICTION PULP MAGAZINES FROM THE BEGINNING TO 1950. Mr. Ashley has also edited many anthologies and single-author collections, often drawing work from the pulps. He is currently compiling an index to the most important British popular fiction magazines published between 1880 and 1950.
PulpFest 2019, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — George Vanderburgh has published over 600 books through his Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, many of them directly related to the pulps: Frederick Davis’ Moon Man, Peter the Brazen, five volumes featuring the work of Seabury Quinn, the Park Avenue Hunt Club, the Green Ghost, John Solomon, the Suicide Squad, and many more. He has also given us numerous collections of detective fiction, including volumes featuring the Thinking Machine, Dr. Thorndyke, and Martin Hewitt. His future plans include several books reprinting pulp authors who have been unjustly forgotten. Along with the late Robert Weinberg, George served as the co-editor of Arkham House Publishers until the death of April Derleth. A regular attendee of pulp conventions, George has helped both longtime and new fans to collect the tales of some of the most fantastic heroes from the pulps.
PulpFest 2018, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — like many from his generation, William Lampkin discovered the pulps through paperback reprints of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Spider. He bought his first actual pulp magazine in the 1970s. Bill runs ThePulp.Net and also writes the Yellowed Perils blog. He founded the Facebook group Southern Pulpsters in 2015. A resident of Florida, he has designed THE PULPSTER since 2008. He became editor of the award-winning program book beginning with its 22nd issue. Tony Davis — PULPSTER founder and original editor — calls Bill, “One of the unsung heroes of contemporary pulp fandom.” In late 2013, Bill also began to design PulpFest‘s print advertisements, badges, and other materials. He is a member of the PulpFest organizing committee, serving as the convention’s advertising director and webmaster, and has helped with Arizona’s Doc Con. Bill has provided all his service to the pulp community “. . . with a goal of perpetuating the stories from — and the story of — the pulps.”
PulpFest 2017, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Phil Stephensen-Payne is a prolific bibliographer and pulp researcher from the United Kingdom. For many years, he has been compiling extremely useful “working bibliographies,” (often in collaboration with the late Gordon Benson, Jr.) of speculative fiction writers, many of whom got their start writing for the pulps. These bibliographies, numbering about sixty, are some of the best reference resources available today in the area of science fiction and fantasy. Additionally, his Galactic Central website contains an online checklist of all known fiction magazines that is attempting to include the cover to every such magazine ever published. It also indexes bibliographies, pulps, science fiction magazines, and other genre magazines. Stephensen-Payne is also a significant contributor and host to the FictionMags Index — principally edited by William G. Contento — and co-author (with Stephen T. Miller and William G. Contento) of the CRIME, MYSTERY, AND GANGSTER FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, originally released on CD-ROM by Locus Press in 2011.
PulpFest 2016, Columbus, Ohio — the granddaughter of pulp author Paul S. Powers, Laurie Powers was introduced to the pulp community in 2007 through the publication of PULP WRITER: TWENTY YEARS IN THE AMERICAN GRUB STREET, an autobiography, and appreciation of her grandfather. She has also edited several collections of her grandfather’s work in various genres, releasing a number of previously unpublished stories. In 2013, she helped to arrange the donation of her grandfather’s personal papers as well as more than 400 pulp magazines featuring his work to the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Ohio State University in Columbus. Laurie also publishes her own blog, a popular destination for those interested in pulps and collecting. She is the author of QUEEN OF THE PULPS: THE REIGN OF DAISY BACON AND LOVE STORY MAGAZINE. At PulpFest 2016, Laurie presented “100 Years of the Specialty Pulp — LOVE STORY MAGAZINE and the Romance Pulp Phenomenon.” Laurie resides in Virginia.
PulpFest 2015, Columbus, Ohio — a resident of New Jersey, Stephen T. Miller has been helping to index the magazines for years. Along with Michael Cook, he compiled Garland Publishing’s MYSTERY, DETECTIVE, AND ESPIONAGE FICTION: A CHECKLIST OF FICTION IN U.S. PULP MAGAZINES, 1915-1974, an exceptional resource for collectors of not only detective pulps, but also hero and adventure magazines. With Phil Stephensen-Payne and William G. Contento, Steve revised this classic index, issued on CD-ROM by Locus Press as CRIME, MYSTERY AND GANGSTER FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, 1915-2010. Also with Bill Contento, Steve compiled SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, AND WEIRD FICTION MAGAZINE INDEX, 1890-2008, a guide to more than 900 different magazines, again published on CD-ROM by Locus Press. Additionally, Steve has helped with a great deal of pulp-related research, sharing his knowledge as well as his collection with researchers.
PulpFest 2014, Columbus, Ohio – for over 45 years, J. Randolph Cox has conducted research into pulp magazines and dime novels. He served as the editor-publisher of Dime Novel Round-Up for over twenty years. His bibliography, Man of Magic & Mystery: A Guide to the Work of Walter B. Gibson, is an excellent resource for those seeking a greater understanding of the work of the man who created The Shadow. With David S. Siegel, Randy authored Flashgun Casey: Crime Photographer, a book-length study of the character originally created for Black Mask by George Harmon Coxe. Other books he has authored include Masters of Mystery and Detective Fiction: An Annotated Bibliography and The Dime Novel Companion: A Source Book. Randy recently donated his collection of comic books and newspaper strips fanzines, pulps, series books, story papers, and other materials to the University of Minnesota Libraries and his extensive collection of Walter Gibson books and Shadow pulps and comics to Gibson’s alma mater, Colgate University.
PulpFest 2013, Columbus, Ohio – Professor Garyn G. Roberts has written extensively about the pulps, both professionally and as a fan. He has edited or co-edited some of the best collections from the pulps including A Cent a Story: The Best from Ten Detective Aces, More Tales of the Defective Detective in the Pulps, The Compleat Adventures of the Moon Man, The Magical Mysteries of Don Diavolo, and The Compleat Great Merlini Saga. His anthology, The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy, a college-level textbook, is notable for the attention paid to the pulp magazines. Additionally, Garyn has helped other researchers with various pulp-related projects and often serves as a presenter and panelist at conventions.
PulpFest 2012, Columbus, Ohio – Matt Moring is the publisher at Altus Press. Reprinting pulp fiction from a wide variety of pulp genres, including hero, detective, jungle, the French Foreign Legion, and more, Matt has quickly become one of the leading publishers in the pulp world. He has also published numerous historical works on the pulps including biographies, indices, and examinations of single-character magazines. Together with Will Murray, Matt revived the Doc Savage series, publishing brand new stories after a long absence. The Altus Press website is also an excellent reference source, featuring links to The Pulp Superhero Index and The Echoes Index.
PulpFest 2011, Columbus, Ohio – Anthony Tollin, publisher, writer, and researcher, is best known for his reprints of Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, and other pulp heroes that he issues under the Sanctum Books imprint. These books serve as a source of entertainment and knowledge for veteran pulp fans as well as a major gateway for new people to enter the pulp-collecting hobby. Additionally, Tony was the co-author with Walter Gibson of The Shadow Scrapbook and helped to put together and introduce numerous recorded collections of pulp-related radio programs during his association with Radio Spirits. He was also involved with several comic book interpretations of the great pulp heroes.
PulpFest 2010, Columbus, Ohio – Michael Chomko, researcher, writer, publisher, and convention volunteer who, along with the rest of the organizing committee, works to organize the annual PulpFest, summer’s pulp con. In the late eighties, Mike published his first article in Echoes and later published the highly regarded Purple Prose, a fanzine devoted to pulp history. He is also known as one of the leading distributors of pulp-related publications.
PulpFest 2009, Columbus, Ohio – William Thom, the creator of the Coming Attractions website where almost every pulp fan with computer access goes to learn about the latest news and book releases in the world of pulps and pulp reprints. Bill also maintains the Pulp Series Character Reprint Index that can be accessed through the Altus Press website as well as the Robert E. Howard bibliography available through the Howard Works website. He has also helped many researchers through the years with his knowledge and collection.
Rusty Hevelin Service Award Winners
PulpFest 2014, Columbus, Ohio – Richard Wentworth, AKA The Spider, had his Ram Singh; G-8 turned to Nippy Weston and Bull Martin for help; and Doc Savage had Monk, Ham, and three other geniuses to lend a hand. But who does a pulp con organizer turn to for assistance? None other than J. Barry Traylor! For over twenty-five years, Barry has been organizing convention auctions, almost single-handedly pulling together a couple hundred lots for a Saturday auction. In 2008, Barry quickly mastered the art of digital photography and stunned the convention crowd with his wonderful images of pulps ranging from rarities like Far East Adventure Stories to more common titles such as Amazing Stories. He’s also the person most often performing the “grunt work” that goes into organizing a convention–contacting comic shops and book stores to help with promotion activities; hunting down extension cords for use in the dealers’ room and programming area; and much more. A longtime contributor to letter columns–you can find his comments in Age of the Unicorn, Echoes, Xenophile, and other classic fanzines–this unsung hero is a devoted fan of Weird Tales. Barry learned about giving back to the pulp community from his pulp mentor, the late Richard Minter, co-winner of the 1993 Lamont Award.
PulpFest 2012, Columbus, Ohio – Jack Cullers has worked quietly and tirelessly for the pulp community for decades. A longtime volunteer for many pulp conventions, Jack has ferried guests to and from airports and made sure they had a friendly face with whom to dine. He has stuffed envelopes, arranged for advertising, organized auctions, and done many other behind-the-scenes tasks, selflessly and without seeking accolades. Time and again, he has welcomed newcomers to the hobby, even inviting them to his home for dinner during their earliest pulp conventions. He has offered space at his dealer tables for down-on-their-luck pulpsters unable to attend conventions. As the chairman of the PulpFest committee, he has worked to assure that convention guests, dealers, presenters, and attendees are treated fairly and respectfully, helping everyone to feel welcome and comfortable at the convention. Of course, Jack could not have done all that he has done without the support of his wife, Sally, herself a longtime pulp con volunteer, often helping with registrations and auctions. His children and friends have also lent a hand. Few are more deserving of recognition than Jack and Sally Cullers, who have labored long and hard for the pulp community.
Lamont Award Winners
Like the Munsey Award, the Lamont was awarded to a deserving person who had given of himself or herself for the betterment of the pulp community. The first Lamont was awarded in 1977 at Pulpcon 6. It was awarded annually from 1983 through 2008, the last year that Pulpcon was held. A special “retro” Lamont Award was presented at PulpFest 2016.
The Lamont Award — which was created by Brian Hamilton — was based on George Rozen’s painting for the November 1, 1936 number of The Shadow Magazine, illustrating Theodore Tinsley’s Shadow adventure, “Partners of Peril.”
PulpFest 2016, Columbus, Ohio — David Saunders was presented with a special “retro” Lamont Award to recognize his substantial service to the pulp community over the years. Since a limited edition of thirty-six numbered and signed prints — designed by David — serves as the Munsey and Rusty awards, it was decided to honor David’s significant contributions to the pulp world with one of the few remaining copies of Pulpcon‘s Lamont Award. David is, quite probably, the foremost scholar of American pulp illustrators. His free public website, Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists, has over three-hundred biographical profiles of these creators of popular culture. Additionally, he has written biographical profiles of artists for ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE and several coffee-table art books on pulp artists. To find out more, please visit davidsaunders.biz, normansaunders.com, and theillustratedpress.com.
Previous winners of the Lamont Award include:
Pulpcon 37, 2008, Dayton, Ohio — Tom Roberts
Pulpcon 36, 2007, Dayton, Ohio — Ed Hulse
Pulpcon 35, 2006, Dayton, Ohio — John Wooley
Pulpcon 34, 2005, Dayton, Ohio — Neil and Leigh Mechem
Pulpcon 33, 2004, Dayton, Ohio — John Locke
Pulpcon 32, 2003, Dayton, Ohio — Jim Steranko
Pulpcon 31, 2002, Dayton, Ohio — Bob Gorton
Pulpcon 30, 2001, Dayton, Ohio — Sheldon Jaffrey
Pulpcon 29, 2000, Dayton, Ohio — Frank Robinson
Pulpcon 28, 1999, Dayton, Ohio — Tony Davis
Pulpcon 27, 1998, Bowling Green, Ohio — Earl Kussman
Pulpcon 26, 1997, Bowling Green, Ohio — Walker Martin
Pulpcon 25, 1996, San Jose, California — Doug Ellis
Pulpcon 24, 1995, Bowling Green, Ohio — John Gunnison
Pulpcon 23, 1994, Bowling Green, Ohio — Don and Mary Ramlow
Pulpcon A, 1994, Tucson, Arizona — Albert Tonik
Pulpcon 22, 1993, Dayton, Ohio — Ryerson Johnson and Richard Minter
Pulpcon 21, 1992, Dayton, Ohio — Lynn Hickman and Leonard Robbins
Pulpcon 20, 1991, Dayton, Ohio — Tom and Ginger Johnson
Pulpcon 19, 1990, Wayne, New Jersey — Don Hutchison
Pulpcon 18, 1989, Dayton, Ohio — Jack Deveny
Pulpcon 17, 1988, Dayton, Ohio — Richard Clear
Pulpcon 16, 1987, Dayton , Ohio — Gordon Huber
Pulpcon 15, 1986, Dayton, Ohio — Fred Cook and Rusty Hevelin
Pulpcon 14, 1985, Dayton, Ohio — John Roy and Darrell Richardson
Pulpcon 13, 1984, Cherry Hill, New Jersey — Frank Hamilton
Pulpcon 12, 1983, Dayton, Ohio — Robert Weinberg
Pulpcon 8, 1979, Dayton, Ohio — Will Murray
Pulpcon 7, 1978, St. Louis, Missouri — Robert Sampson and Wooda “Nick” Carr
Pulpcon 6, 1977, Akron, Ohio — Nils Hardin
Leigh Mechem, co-winner of the 2005 Lamont Award, presents the 2006 award to author John Wooley.
