About the book

About Danger is my business

At the turn of the century, America saw the rapid rise of a new literary phenomenon: the pulps. Named "pulps" for the cheap paper on which they were printed, these wildly inventive periodicals featured bold titles, such as Weird Tales, Astounding Stories, and Spicy Detective. Adorned with bright, often garish covers they could be bought for as little as a dime, yet they offered outrageous selections of burgeoning popular fiction, from tales of horror and science fiction to lurid romances and hard-boiled detective stories. As the popularity of the pulps increased, certain fictional characters, such as Tarzan, Zorro, Doc Savage, Sam Spade, Hopalong Cassidy, and Conan the Barbarian were immortalized, and a new eccentric and hearty breed of writer emerged. Churning out these stories for a penny-a-word or less became the proving ground for hundreds of struggling authors, many of whom have since become the most widely read writers of this century, including Edgar Rice Burroughs, Dashiell Hammett, Louis L'Amour, Ray Bradbury, H.P. Lovecraft, and Raymond Chandler. Danger Is My Business is about the rise and fall of the colorful pulps and the legendary publishers, editors, and writers who made them an unforgettable sensation. Capturing the mood of America in the Roaring Twenties and the years of the Great Depression, the text features exclusive, firsthand recollections by pulp veterans, who offer comical and poignant anecdotes and give this history a lively, behind-the-scenes perspective. With over 100 rare illustrations, including dozens of magazine covers, interior illustrations, and archival photos of pulp notables, Danger Is My Business is an essential item for both collectors and pop-culture enthusiasts.

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