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. PulpFest will host its third salute to “The Master of Romance and Adventure,” Edgar Rice Burroughs. Co-hosted by Henry G. Franke III — the editor of The Burroughs Bulletin and The Gridley Wave monthly newsletter — ERBFest 2024 will honor the centennial of the first book publication of Burroughs’ The Land That Time Forgot and the 50th anniversary of the film version of Burroughs’ adventure classic. We’ll have a film program and a presentation on “Pulp Paleontology,” a look at “The Women of Edgar Rice Burroughs,” and a panel presentation by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. Of related interest will be award-winning novelist, journalist, and editor Craig McDonald’s conversation with Chicago artist and illustrator Douglas C. Klauba.
Of special note is the 2024 Dum-Dum Banquet, scheduled for Saturday, August 3, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Bravo! Italian Kitchen, located one-half mile from PulpFest’s host hotel. The banquet will be hosted by The Burroughs Bibliophiles and is independent of PulpFest 2024. You don’t have to be a member of The Bibliophiles to attend the banquet.
And don’t forget about the “Barsoomian Bull-Session,” beginning around 11:30 pm in the Ember & Vine lounge at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry on August 3.
All this and more will be part of ERBFest 2024.
Make your plans now to head for Mars, Pennsylvania from August 1 – 4 for PulpFest 2024, ERBFest 2024, and FarmerCon XIX (more on that tomorrow). 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.
Our featured image is excerpted from Modest Stein’s cover for the April 4, 1914 issue of All-Story Weekly, illustrating the first segment of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel, “At the Earth’s Core.” Dian the Beautiful — the subject of Stein’s cover portrait — will be one of the women discussed in our August 1 presentation, “The Women of Edgar Rice Burroughs.”
Our lead image — the ERBFest 2024 banner — features Edgar Rice Burroughs reading the first book edition — published by A. C. McClurg in 1924 — of The Land That Time Forget. The banner was designed by William Lampkin for Henry G. Franke III, one of our 2024 Munsey Award nominees.
Our second image was adapted by William Lampkin from Frank R. Paul’s cover art for the February 1927 issue of Amazing Stories, illustrating the first segment of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “The Land That Time Forgot,” while our final image — also adapted by Lampkin — is from Joe Jusko’s “The Land That Time Forgot” cover art used on the omnibus volume, Savage Epics, published in 2023 by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
Norman Bean is an Edgar Rice Burroughs fan who joined the staff of volunteer writers for our website in August 2023. Last week, he profiled some of our dealers who will be exhibiting at PulpFest 2024. We look forward to more contributions from Norman in the years ahead.
To learn more about Edgar Rice Burroughs, please visit the PulpFest YouTube Channel.
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