Although PulpFest is well known for its excellent programming — and rightfully so . . . click the “2016 schedule” button just below our banner on our home page to see all of the great programming we have lined up for 2016 — it is also lauded for its very substantial dealers’ room. Beginning on Thursday, July 21, the Battelle South exhibition hall on the third floor of the Greater Columbus Convention Center will house collectible pulp magazines and digests, vintage paperbacks, first edition hardcovers and series books, original art, B-movies and serials, collectible comic books, and more. And remember: for those members staying at the Hyatt-Regency Columbus, you’ll be able to partake in free, early-bird shopping on Thursday evening from 6 to 9 PM. For those staying elsewhere, early-bird shopping privileges will cost $10 if you pay by July 1. After that date, early-bird privileges will be available for an additional $25 (if prepaid) or $30 (at the door).
In addition to Thursday’s early-bird hours, the PulpFest dealers’ room will be open from 10 AM to 4:45 PM on July 22 – 23 and from 10 AM to 2 PM on Sunday, July 24. Note that buying and selling opportunities on Sunday may be limited as dealers pack up for their trip home.
Who will be selling at PulpFest 2016? For the next three days, we’ll be profiling some of our dealers, telling you a little bit about each of them so you get to know them a little better. Away we go . . .
PulpFest welcomes LARRY “DOC” GRUBB, a collector since the 1960s, and his son, JASPER, back for the third time with many Edgar Rice Burroughs first edition and reprints, and a great selection of western pulps. Jasper and Larry Grubb hail from Maryland.
MARK HALEGUA is the founder of the Gotham Pulp Collectors Club. In addition to selling his Pulps 1st CDs — featuring thousands of pulp cover images on each disc — Mark will have an assortment of pulp magazines, including a number of ASTOUNDING STORIES issues published by Clayton. He’ll also have key issues of various comic books available for sale. Be sure to visit with this very personable dealer out of Queens.
Scouring flea markets and antique shows up and down the East Coast, RICK HALL rescues pulps for the collections of his fellows in the pulp community. Focusing primarily on pulps, Rick adds fanzines and general magazines with “good authors” to the mix. You may find just what you’ve been looking for among Rick’s “found” treasures.
JOHN HAUSER grew up in the Pacific Northwest. As a young lad he enjoyed the Chicago Comic Con so much that he moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the Midwest. Over the years, John has bought and brought to market two pedigree collections of comics: The Green River and The Curator collections. He has also sold on consignment many fine collections. With the passing of Ron Killian of Milwaukee’s The Turning Page, John will be presenting Killian’s massive collection of pulps and books. Ron Killian owned one of Milwaukee’s earliest direct-sales comics shops and launched the first comic shows in the city. Pulpfest 2016 will be the first opportunity for the public to buy part of Ron’s lifetime collection.
RICHARD MELI, KARA ACCETTOLA and EMMA SLOAN of HEARTWOOD AUCTIONS have more than twenty-five years experience in vintage pulps, first editions, magazines, paperbacks, and other collectibles. Heartwood Auctions has more than 100,000 items available for sale, including the Robert Weinberg collection of rare pulps, digests, paperbacks and related ephemera, the Napa Valley collection of men’s adventure magazines, world-class Edgar Rice Burroughs material, and one-of-a-kind WEIRD TALES, Clark Ashton-Smith, and H. P. Lovecraft gems.
PAUL HERMAN is a Connecticut dealer and collector who exhibits at many pulp and paperback conventions. He offers a wide variety of material including pulps, paperbacks, and vintage digests. He is very strong in the mystery and detective fields, turning up many scarce items. Be sure to drop by Paul’s tables for a top-notch deal.
MARK HICKMAN, an Ohio dealer will be offering a variety of science-fiction magazines and hero pulps, as well as comic books and original artwork from the pulps, comics, digests, and paperbacks — a little bit of everything. Mark will also be selling copies of THE COLLECTED PULP ERA, a two-volume set reprinting the complete run of his father Lynn Hickman’s classic fanzine. Both volumes are very highly recommended.
Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, OWEN KUBIK and RACHELL CHILTON of KUBIK FINE BOOKS will have a variety of books, magazines, and pulps. They specialize in both vintage and modern fantasy and adventure fiction. Expect to see a wide variety of interesting books and magazines at their display.
A dealer from Michigan, DAVE LEPLAE is a longtime pulp collector and convention attendee. He will have a selection of original pulp magazines in a range of conditions for sale, including detective, adventure, hero, and other genres. Please stop by his tables for a nice selection and a good deal.
BRIAN LIVINGSTON will be returning to the PulpFest dealers’ room in 2016. He’ll be bringing a substantial number of long boxes stocked with pulps, including a collection from Indiana that has been in storage since the early seventies. Brian will be selling titles such as BLACK MASK, DIME DETECTIVE, DIME MYSTERY, DOC SAVAGE, THE SHADOW, THRILLING ADVENTURE, THRILLING DETECTIVE, and many other pulps. He will also be offering Golden and Silver Age comic books.
If you are a dealer or collector who would like to sell at PulpFest, please click the “Register for 2016” button just below the banner at the top of our home page or email convention chairperson Jack Cullers at jack@pulpfest.com for further information about selling at the convention.
As of June 21, the Hyatt Regency Columbus had a small number of rooms available for July 21 through July 23. Their PulpFest rate ends on June 30. Please see our post “There Are Rooms at the Hyatt!”
At www.columbusconventions.com/thearea.php, you’ll find a list of area hotels courtesy of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Alternately, you can search for a room at tripadvisor or a similar website to find a hotel near the convention. Thanks so much to everyone who has reserved a room at our host hotel. By staying at the Hyatt Regency, you’ve helped to ensure the convention’s success.
We’ll be profiling more of our 2016 PulpFest dealers in the days ahead. Please come back tomorrow.
(Eighty years ago, in an attempt to introduce a harder edge to their hero pulps, Street & Smith debuted THE WHISPERER, a more “adult” version of THE SHADOW. Join PulpFest 2016 on Thursday evening, July 21, when Will Murray will begin PulpFest‘s much-admired programming with a discussion of “Street & Smith’s Second String Superheroes — The Whisperer and The Skipper.” Many of the issues of THE WHISPERER featured cover art by John Newton Howitt, including the June 1937 number.
You’ll find thousands of pulp magazines like this DIME DETECTIVE for February 1947 with cover art by Robert Stanley in the PulpFest dealers’ room. There are very few conventions where you can find pulps in similar quantities and in such a wide variety of titles and conditions. That’s why PulpFest annually draws hundreds of fans and collectors of vintage popular fiction and related materials to Columbus, Ohio where it is currently based.)
