EDitorial Comments

PulpFest: Just One Week Away!

By this time next Friday I’ll once again be surrounded by tens of thousands of old pulp magazines, and an equal or greater number of vintage hardcovers, paperbacks, digests, fanzines, and related collectibles. Where might this be, you ask? Why, Columbus, Ohio’s Hyatt Regency hotel, of course. That’s the venue for PulpFest, an annual gathering of pulp-fiction devotees. The successor to Pulpcon, which began in 1972, PulpFest maintains the tradition of a summer confab for hobbyists who come from all over the country—and even some who come from other countries—to fritter away the weekend in a 10,000-square-foot ballroom packed with rare goodies for sale.

As a member of the PulpFest committee I’m happy to report that this year’s event is on track to top our previous conventions. According to chairman Jack Cullers, we’ve booked a record number of pre-registrants, dealers tables, and hotel room-nights. One never knows how many last-minute reservations will be made, or how many local folks will come through our doors out of curiosity, but the tea leaves read promisingly.

By clicking the PulpFest link above you’ll be able to find everything you need to know about the convention. You can download registration forms and click on the Hyatt Regency’s website to facilitate the reserving of rooms. PulpFest’s indomitable Mike Chomko also has posted dozens of promo pieces describing our dealers, themes, and programming, in addition to covering related topics.

And what will Murania Press have to entice attendees? Well, we’ll be debuting the Summer 2014 issue of Blood ‘n’ Thunder, the cover of which is pictured below. We’ll also have copies of our two recently published books on cliffhanger serials of the silent-movie era: The Perils of Pauline, Charles W. Goddard’s 1914 novelization of the classic chapter play starring Pearl White, and Distressed Damsels and Masked Marauders, first of my two-volume history of the silent serial. Of course, we’ll also have back issues of BnT and last year’s Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Pulp Fiction, the sales of which have already outstripped those of its smaller and shorter 2007 predecessor, The Blood ‘n’ Thunder Guide to Collecting Pulps.

If you’re a fan of this stuff and have never attended a pulp-fan confab, you owe it to yourself to attend PulpFest at least once. In addition to having access to thousands of desirable collectibles and attending panels and presentations covering the history of these rough-paper magazines, you’ll meet a lot of swell people with similar interests. Unlike the massive comic-book conventions held in major cities like New York and San Diego, PulpFest is small enough to negotiate easily and casually. The pace is slower and the folks friendlier. Why not give us a try this year? As always, I look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones there. So stop by and say howdy!