Although his first book — The Four Just Men — was originally a financial bust, Edgar Wallace would soon be thrilling the world with story after story.
His books sold by the thousands and were translated into more than twenty languages. As early as 1916, his work was also adapted to film, and soon, the author began to write for the industry himself.
Incredibly prolific, it has been estimated that more than 50 million copies of Wallace’s books sold during his lifetime. During the twenties, his publisher claimed that one of every four books sold in England was by Wallace.
One of the most widely read authors in the world during the first third of the twentieth century, Edgar Wallace wrote over 170 novels, nearly a thousand short stories, 25 stage plays, many film scripts, historical non-fiction, ballads, and poetry. This was on top of his journalism, criticism, newspaper columns, sports reporting, and publishing. At least 160 films — as well as radio and television presentations — were adapted from his work.
He was called “The King of Thrillers” and was featured on the cover of Time magazine.
We hope you’ll join PulpFest 2025 on Thursday, August 7, at 7:45 pm as author, editor, publisher, and pop culture historian, Ed Hulse, looks at the life and times of “Edgar Wallace, the Master of Blood and Thunder.”
Ed has presented at PulpFest many times. As a journalist, he covered the home video and motion picture industries for over 30 years. Since 2002, he has edited and published the award-winning pop culture journal Blood ‘n’ Thunder. The winner of the Lamont Award in 2007, Ed is a prolific public speaker who has lectured on various aspects of vintage American popular culture for museums, libraries, and universities. His books include The Art of Pulp Fiction, The Art of the Classic Western Movie Poster, Distressed Damsels and Masked Marauders, and many other titles, including the forthcoming The Art of Classic Crime and Mystery Movies.
In 2017, Ed co-edited The Art of the Pulps with Doug Ellis and the late Robert Weinberg. In the pulp field, his most recent books are the Blood ‘n’ Thunder 2025 Special Edition, the horror-pulp anthology Mistress of Death and Desire, and the revised and expanded edition of The Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Pulp Fiction. To learn more about Ed and his work, please visit his website at muraniapress.com.
PulpFest 2025 begins on August 7 and runs through August 10 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry in Mars, Pennsylvania. We’ll be celebrating the “Masters of Blood and Thunder,” the “Great Pulp Villains,” Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze, and more at this year’s convention.
The general public is welcome to attend our evening programming events free of charge. To learn more about our programming, please click the 2025 Schedule button at the top of this page.
For those who also want to enjoy our dealers’ room, you can join PulpFest by clicking the register button at the top of this page. And don’t forget to book a room at the DoubleTree. They’re going fast!
Remember, in addition to your membership in PulpFest 2025, you’ll also be a member of Doc Con XXI, ERBFest 2025, and Farmercon XX. That’s four conventions for one price! You can’t beat that deal.
If you’re interested in selling at PulpFest, our dealers’ room is full. However, we are considering adding tables in the pre-function hallway outside of the dealers’ room. These tables will cost $125 each and will be guarded by security overnight. If you are interested, please write to Jack Cullers at jack@pulpfest.com to be added to our waiting list.
For more on Edgar Wallace and his work, please visit our YouTube Channel.
And while you’re there, be sure to subscribe.
Our featured image is excerpted from Bruce Carrington Windo’s cover art for the 1956 Pan Books edition of Edgar Wallace’s The India-Rubber Men, a sequel to the author’s Inspector Elk novel, The Fellowship of the Frog.
Bruce Windo was a paperback cover artist who worked for Pan, Panther, and Arrow Books in the 1950s.
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from Harvey Dunn’s original cover art for the March 1915 issue of New-Story Magazine, published by Street & Smith. Dunn’s artwork illustrates Edgar Wallace’s “The Four Just Men,” reprinted in its entirety. Wallace’s novel was originally self-published in 1905 by The Tallis Press.
Our final image is the 1963 Pan Books edition of The Four Just Men, with cover art by Stephen Richard Boldero.
