For more than fifty years, PulpFest has celebrated mystery, adventure, science fiction, and much more. In the pulp magazines of the early twentieth century — which gave PulpFest its name — the hardboiled detective, science fiction, and sword and sorcery genres developed and flourished. They gave us Buck Rogers, Conan the Barbarian, Cthulhu, Doc Savage, Hopalong Cassidy, John Carter of Mars, Sam Spade, The Shadow, Solomon Kane, Tarzan, Zorro, and many other pop culture icons.
PulpFest 2024 will celebrate “Spice, Spies, Shaw, and More,” at this year’s convention. We’ll be marking the 90th anniversary of Harry Donenfeld’s “Spicy” pulps and the 150th anniversary of the birth of legendary Black Mask editor Joseph T. “Cap” Shaw. It’s also the 90th anniversary of Secret Agent X, Operator #5, and other espionage pulp heroes.
But that’s not all. Once again, PulpFest will host its third salute to the Master of Adventure, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Co-hosted by Henry G. Franke III — the editor of The Burroughs Bulletin — ERBFest 2024 will honor the centennial of the first book publication of Burroughs’ The Land That Time Forgot. We’ll have a film program and a presentation on “Pulp Paleontology,” as well as a look at “The Women of Edgar Rice Burroughs” and a panel presentation by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. All this and more will be part of ERBFest 2024. Of special note is the 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet, scheduled for Saturday, August 3, starting at 5:30 p.m.
The fans of Philip José Farmer will also be returning to PulpFest in 2024 for FarmerCon XIX.
Since 2011, PulpFest has hosted FarmerCon, a convention celebrating the life and times of the longtime pulp fan and Grand Master of Science Fiction, born over 100 years ago on January 26, 1918.
By holding the convention alongside PulpFest, Farmer fans get a variety of programming and a room full of pulp and book dealers to enjoy. Of course, the premier publisher of Farmer and related works, Meteor House, will have a prominent spot in our dealers’ room. And don’t forget the after-hours socializing that the fans of Philip José Farmer are known to enjoy. These gatherings are always vibrant, entertaining, and informative.
Start making your plans now to head for Mars, Pennsylvania from August 1 – 4 for PulpFest 2024, ERBFest 2024, and FarmerCon XIX. That’s three conventions for the price of one, only at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry. You can become a member of all three conventions by clicking the Registration button on the PulpFest website.
And don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree. They go fast! Included in the special convention rate of $136 plus tax per night are two complimentary hot breakfasts per room during your stay, free Wi-Fi, and free parking. To thank you for your support, PulpFest will provide free early-bird shopping when you book a room at the convention’s host hotel.
The pulp magazines of the early twentieth century gave PulpFest its name. They also gave us such pop culture icons as Doc Savage — pictured in our featured image, excerpted from Walter Baumhofer’s cover painting for the March 1933 issue of Doc Savage Magazine — and Cthulhu — rendered by Matt Fox in our lead image of the cover for the November 1944 number of Weird Tales.
The other pulps illustrating our post include Frank R. Paul’s cover for the February 1927 issue of Amazing Stories, illustrating the first segment of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “The Land That Time Forgot.” It was reprinted in three parts by the Hugo Gernsback pulp magazine.
The final magazine pictured in our post is the March 1946 Adventure. The issue marked the publication of Philip José Farmer’s first professional sale as a writer. His novella, “O’Brien and Obrenov,” concerns the occupation of a German town at the end of World War II.
The issue’s cover art is by Griffith Foxley, best remembered for his paperback book cover paintings, including the Dell first edition of Fredric Brown’s Madball, Ernest Hemingway’s Across the River and Through the Trees, and the Donald Lam and Bertha Cool mystery, Top of the Heap. The artist also painted covers for true crime magazines such as Master Detective and True Detective Mysteries and created interior art for Liberty. He was also the art director for Sport magazine.
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A fan of horror and fantasy fiction, Jeanne Harding attended her first PulpFest in 2023, helping to celebrate the centennial of Weird Tales. Of course, Jeanne asked for a Weird Tales cover to lead our post. You can read Jeanne’s tribute to Spicy Mystery Stories by clicking here.
