PulpFest is not only lauded for its fine programming but also for its large dealers’ room.
Beginning on Thursday, August 7, the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Pittsburgh – Cranberry will be home to thousands of collectible pulp magazines and digests, vintage paperbacks, first-edition hardcovers and series books, original art, genre fiction, B-movies and serials, collectible comic books, and much more.
What dealers are we expecting at PulpFest 2025? In our posts this week, we’ll be profiling our dealers, telling you a little bit about each of them.
It’s particularly fitting at a gathering celebrating Burroughs, Doc Savage, Farmer, & Pulps that we welcome back Douglas Klauba. The recipient of the Burroughs Bibliophiles’ Golden Lion Award has painted The Avenger, Batman, Doc Savage, The Domino Lady, Flash Gordon, The Green Hornet, The Phantom, The Shadow, The Spider, Zorro, and many other heroes. We’ll have Doug’s table right near writer Craig McDonald as Doug has painted the covers for Craig’s four recent books. He has also painted covers for Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc., Flinch! Books, and Meteor House. Doug will be joining artist Mark Wheatley on the PulpFest stage for “The Masters of Tarzan Illustration” on Friday evening, August 8.
We’d like to welcome back John W. Knott, Bookseller to PulpFest. A bookseller for over 40 years, John specializes in fine first editions of popular literature, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, supernatural and horror, and mystery and detective fiction. He also offers pulp magazines, ephemera — such as manuscripts and letters — as well as signed books, limited editions, award winners, and books in all areas of popular fiction. At PulpFest 2025, John will primarily be offering pulps and other material from several major collections — Gerry de la Ree, Joe Wrzos, and Robert A. Madle. Please visit his website at jwkbooks.com.
Please welcome Tim Kupin of Koops Comics back to PulpFest. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Tim (aka Koop) was the only former employee to have shopped and worked in the original Eide’s Comics location in Etna. He began working at Eide’s in December 1975 and continued to work there until he shipped out with the USAF. Since 1992, Koop has been setting up at comic cons, both large and small, all over our great country. Tim is actively attempting to exhibit at a comic con in all fifty states, having appeared in 39 different states, as well as the District of Columbia and Toronto, Canada. An Overstreet Price Guide Advisor, Tim owns and operates Koops Comics, a brick-and-mortar shop located in Lawton, Oklahoma. Koop will have comic books, magazines, art books, and a large selection of foreign editions, including hundreds of Conan comics from at least 30 different countries, some featuring original takes on the character.
Michael & Tracey Kowal have attended Pulpfest many times, both in Columbus and Pittsburgh. Michael has been an avid collector of science fiction magazines, comic books, and first-edition, signed, limited, and special collection books for many years. The Kowals will be selling pulps, science fiction and mystery digest magazines, Silver and Bronze Age comics, and large-size science fiction magazines from Michael’s collection. Residents of the Pittsburgh area, please welcome the Kowals back to PulpFest for another go-round as dealers.
Duane Laflin is a magician-turned-author. After a career as an internationally known illusionist, performing on five continents, in eighteen countries, and forty-seven of the fifty states, Duane retired to write novels. As a fan of pulp fiction, he drew on his experience as an entertainer to create fast-paced stories with a pulp-style feel — tales featuring action, excitement, fascinating characters, and an international scope. His latest series featuring his version of a Doc Savage/Tarzan-type character – Thomas Adam Gray – offers wild, yet realistic adventures set in modern times. The third volume in the series — The Treasure Whale — and possibly a fourth, will be ready for Pulpfest! Duane will have these, along with his fourteen other novels, on display at the convention. We look forward to hosting Duane Laflin at his first PulpFest.
Our 2018 Munsey Award winner William Lampkin is the advertising director for PulpFest as well as the editor and designer of The Pulpster, the convention’s award-winning program book. He’s also the guy who designs all the great banners you’ll find around the convention. Bill will have a tempting selection of pulp fanzines and other collectibles for sale at his table. He attended his first Pulpcon in 2006 and his first PulpFest in 2014. When he’s not creating our advertising or banners, Bill is publishing ThePulp.Net, your online source for all things pulp for nearly thirty years.
Author of the Edgar-nominated “Hector Lassiter” historical crime series, Craig McDonald is an award-winning novelist, journalist, and editor. The “Lassiter” series chronicles the exploits of a fictional Black Mask author and his encounters with such notable figures as Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles, Ian Fleming, and Lester Dent. McDonald’s internationally acclaimed works have found a global audience and have also been adapted to the graphic novel format. His works have been published by Simon & Schuster and Macmillan Press.
Craig — who writes regularly for pulpfest.com and The Pulpster — is also the author of The Adventures of Zana O’Savin. The fourth book in the series — The Night Shepherd — has recently been released. Craig will be part of our “Personal Demons and the Creative Mind” panel at this year’s PulpFest. And don’t forget to check out Craig’s many great videos on the PulpFest YouTube Channel.
Please welcome Bob McGeeney back to his fourth PulpFest as a dealer. Bob formerly served as the Official Editor of the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association (ERBapa). He specializes in ERB, vintage science fiction paperbacks, pulps, and big little books. Introduce yourself to Bob at PulpFest 2025 and pick up one of his many fine treasures.
John McMahan sells collectibles on ebay as mybckpages. He comes to us from Oklahoma, where he has long been active as a fan and dealer. At PulpFest 2025, John will be selling pulps, books, comics, original art, movie posters, and more. He will also have copies of Hard-Boiled Christmas Stories, the anthology he edited with 2006 Lamont Award winner John Wooley. Check out our profile of the latter by reading “PulpFest Profile: Seven Senses of John Wooley” on our website.
Peter Macuga has been selling at PulpFest for years. He’ll have many pulps and books to sell, including early issues of Astounding Stories, up through the late 1940s. Peter will also have collectible hardcovers from Gnome Press and other publishers.
From Buffalo, New York, Bill Mann returns as a dealer to PulpFest. One of the founders and a former editor at Age of Aces Books, Bill will be selling a variety of aviation pulps and books. Welcome back, Bill. Parachute over to his table and see what he’s flying.
Emanuel ‘Manny’ Maris is a lifelong fan and collector of hero, crime, and fantasy pulps, pre-1970 comic books, and other pop culture collectibles. He has been doing mail order and convention tables for over fifty years. He has run film shows and dealers’ rooms and published program books for various conventions. Since retiring, he sells through eBay and elsewhere as Manny’s Vintage Mintage, and occasionally takes tables at various conventions to sell the extras and second copies from his 45,000 book and magazine collection. He returns to PulpFest as a dealer for the third time.
Tom Martin has been a longtime collector of pulps, digests, vintage paperbacks, Golden Age comics, and many related items. Located in southwestern Ohio, Tom has attended many pulp conventions since the late 1970s, sometimes as a collector and other times as a dealer. He will be offering a diverse selection of items from all areas of our collecting interests, including a few surprises that are rarely offered. Be sure to visit his tables at PulpFest 2025.
Collecting since the early days of pulp fandom, legend has it that Walker Martin has owned practically every pulp at least once! A resident of New Jersey, he’ll be selling a variety of pulp magazines, original artwork, one-of-a-kind canceled checks from the files of Munsey and Popular Publications, and more at PulpFest 2025. Walker has been a regular columnist for the Mystery*File blog, published online by 2025 Munsey Award nominee, Steve Lewis.
William Patrick Maynard is the author of the first authorized Fu Manchu thrillers in nearly forty years. He will be signing and selling copies of his books as well as a selection of material from his own collection of books and assorted oddities. Bill will be moderating our panel on “Personal Demons and the Creative Mind” on Friday afternoon, August 8. He’s also one of our nominees for the 2025 Munsey Award.
Terry Meister has been collecting pulps for 60 years, beginning with a handful of late-30s/early-40s Doc Savage issues purchased at the late lamented Kay’s Book Store in Cleveland, Ohio. While attending shows since the Pulpcon days, this is only his third PulpFest as a dealer. He’ll have a wide range of pulps, pulp excerpts, and pulp-related hardbacks — including material by Burroughs, Cummings, England, Giesy, Howard, Lovecraft, and Merritt. And, if time permits, some comics, movie material, comic strips, 16 mm shorts, and … stop by and see what you find at his table!
Fantasy and science fiction publisher Meteor House will be back at PulpFest, hosting the 2025 FarmerCon. Pick up your copy of Savageology, a superamalgamated volume collecting Philip José Farmer’s writings about Doc, and Time’s Last Gift, a prequel to Farmer’s Ancient Opar series and a big fan favorite. These new Meteor House editions will debut at this year’s PulpFest/FarmerCon. Michael Croteau, Win Scott Eckert, and Paul Spiteri will also be selling items from their back catalog, as well as works created by attendees of FarmerCon. We hope you’ll also join us for our FarmerCon XX panel on Friday evening, August 8, “Tarzan the Time Traveler and Discourses on Doc.”
Charles F. Millhouse is an award-winning author and publisher who published his first book in 1999 and hasn’t looked back. He has written over forty published works, including novels and short stories. From the 1930’s adventures of Captain Hawklin; through the gritty paranormal old west town of New Kingdom; to the far-off future in the Origin Trilogy, Charles’ imagination is boundless. He breathes life into his characters, brings worlds alive, and sends his readers on journeys they won’t soon forget. Charles — who lives in southeastern Ohio with his wife and two sons — will be exhibiting at PulpFest for the second time. Visit stormgatepress.com to learn more about this exciting contemporary writer of genre fiction.
If you’re interested in selling at PulpFest, our dealers’ room is full. However, we are adding a limited number of 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 sign up for a spot.
If you want to visit our dealers’ room, you have to be a member of PulpFest 2025. To join the convention, click the registration button at the top of this page. Your PulpFest membership also includes memberships in DocCon XXI, ERBFest 2025, and Farmercon XX. That’s four conventions for one price!
If you’re from outside the area, don’t forget to book a room. The deadline to get the convention rate at the DoubleTree was Tuesday, July 15. You may be able to find a comparable hotel room by clicking here. If you’re looking for a roommate, write to Jack Cullers at his email address above.
We’ll be profiling more of our PulpFest 2025 dealers through Friday, July 18. Please visit our site on Thursday, July 17, for our next profiles.
Kenneth Grant is a writer and popular culture enthusiast who began writing for our website in 2022. He particularly enjoys the hero pulps and has written about pulp villains, Ron Hill’s documentary We Are Doc Savage, Talking Pulp with Craig McDonald, the “Great Pulp Villains,” and more.
Our featured image is a grocery store display in an unknown location, selling pulp magazines circa the spring of 1939. We’ll be running photographs of vintage newsstands and magazine racks all week. Special thanks to ThePulp.Net for sharing their collection of pulp photos from the early 20th century with us.
Our lead image was adapted by William Lampkin from a limited-edition print of Burne Hogarth’s front cover art for Tarzan of the Apes, a graphic novel by the artist, adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novel and published in 1972 by Watson-Guptill. Bill’s poster is an advertisement for our presentation “The Masters of Tarzan Illustration,” featuring artists Douglas Klauba and Mark Wheatley.
The 1979 edition of Robert Overstreet’s Comic Book Price Guide No. 9, featuring cover art by Wallace Wood, is an homage to EC Comics’ Weird Science and Weird Fantasy. You’ll find a copy of this volume in lot #151 of the 2025 PulpFest auction.
Best known for the 58 covers that he painted for Astounding Science Fiction, Hubert Rogers also contributed covers to Street & Smith’s Crimebusters, Detective Story Magazine, Love Story, Sport Story, The Whisperer, Wild West Weekly, and The Wizard/Cash Gorman. He also contributed covers and interiors to Adventure, Argosy, Dime Adventure, Dime Sports, and Short Stories. Pictured above is his cover for the January 1948 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, illustrating Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” novella, “Now You See It…”
Our final image is the cover of the November 16, 1940 issue of Liberty magazine, illustrating Sax Rohmer’s novel, “Fu Manchu and the Panama Canal,” a 12-part serial that was later published in book form as The Island of Fu Manchu. The story involves Fu Manchu’s attempts to disrupt the United States’ navy during World War II by launching attacks from a hidden stronghold in the Caribbean. The cover art is by Arnold Friberg.
