Although PulpFest 2017 is about five months off, do not despair. There are other collectors conventions fast approaching. For instance, on Sunday, March 19, the annual Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collectors Show & Sale will take place at the Glendale Civic Auditorium at 1401 North Verdugo Road in Glendale, California from 9 AM to 4 PM. It’s still the best bargain in town, featuring an admission price of five bucks!
Now in its 38th year, this convention was started by Tom Lesser, who invited dealers, fellow collectors and paperback enthusiasts to his home in Chatworth, California in 1980. Since then, it has grown to be the world’s largest vintage paperback gathering. This year’s show will feature more than 80 dealer tables with tens of thousands of vintage paperbacks for sale, from inexpensive filler copies to the most elusive and rare collectibles in the hobby. In addition to collectible paperbacks, you’ll also find pulp magazines, original illustration art, hardbound science fiction and mystery books, and more. There is no telling what might show up! Even with a crowd of collectors around, it’s possible to be the first person to discover a hidden gem during the event. Each year there are great finds reported by folks who attend the show. This year, you could be the person telling the story.
Over the years, an important attraction of the show has been its exciting roster of guest authors and artists. It has included such notables as Robert Bloch (18 years); A. E. Van Vogt , Ray Bradbury, Poul Anderson, and Fredrik Pohl (all for over 10 years); and the show’s champ, William F. Nolan (with over 30 years of appearances). This year the show will feature nearly sixty guests who will be available to meet the attendees and sign their works for free! Click here for a schedule of this year’s guest writers and artists.
You’ll find more information on this great collectors gathering at the convention’s website and its Facebook site, or by calling Tom Lesser at 818-855-1786. And while you’re at the show, be sure to pick up a PulpFest 2017 post card to learn more about “Summer’s Hottest Pulp Con,” taking place from Thursday evening, July 27 and running through Sunday afternoon, July 30 at its new location outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This year’s PulpFest will be at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, PA. Start making your plans to join us at the “pop culture center of the universe” for PulpFest 2017.
(The Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Show & Sale’s characteristic poster images were originally designed by the late Glenn Souza, starting in the early 1990s and continued by him through 2007, when he handed on his legacy to Tony Gleeson. Pictured here is the convention’s banner for their Facebook page.)
