(See http://www.auctionbytes.com/Email_Newsletter/29/30/30.html#pulps for Part 1, a background on pulps.)

In last issue, I broadly described reasons for considering collecting the pulps. In this issue, I will "guide" you through one of my recent purchases on eBay: a copy of the August 1939 issue of Unknown. The price of this pulp was $50, which is beginning to be a somewhat hefty price in the pulp market! But what a fabulous issue this is! It is 62 years old-as old as Detective #27, the first appearance of Batman! This is the 6th issue of Unknown, thus a very nice, early issue. While Unknown did not have the long run of Weird Tales or Amazing Stories, it is clearly one of the "key" runs of pulps, because of great early painted covers and generally outstanding fantasy and "swords and sorcery" stories. The condition is a solid VG+/5.5/OWL 7 by Overstreet grading standards. This is actually pretty nice condition for a pulp. As it turns out, just like golden age comics, a choosy grader can find fine and even an occasional very fine condition pulp, although the paper quality is usually tanning to some degree and is at best an off-white to light tan.

Next up, the cover of this issue, and what a great cover it is! A beautiful painted cover of a hotel bellhop opening a door, with a dangerous looking chap in a turban brandishing a knife behind the door. A close look reveals the ghostly form of a woman, as well! The cover announces the lead story: "The Ghoul," by L. Ron Hubbard (Hubbard of course is a classic, well-known author, as well as being known for other pursuits!). Two other prominent authors of the golden age of sci-fi are also featured in this issue: Lester del Ray and Harvey Kuttner. However, the best is yet to come.

This is a blockbuster issue, because it contains the first published appearance of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, the best known creations of one of the pillars of the classic and modern era of sci-fi and fantasy, Fritz Leiber. Leiber's two characters first appeared in a story called "Two Sought Adventure," and there it is, beginning on page 99! As most sci-fi/fantasy readers, comic collectors and role-playing gamers know, Leiber's creations eventually appeared in 50+ stories, all of which were collected in seven books (the "Swords" series) that have been reprinted many times. DC Comics published some classic Bronze Age Fafhrd/Grey Mouser stories in the early '70s that are avidly collected today. TSR purchased the gaming rights to Leiber's creations in order to place Lankhmar and Nehwon (Leiber's fantasy city and world where his characters do most of their adventuring) into a D&D setting. And it all started here, in the sixth issue of Unknown, in August 1939.

What is even more incredible is that several interior illustrations provide the first-ever glimpse of the big barbarian, Fafhrd, and that scoundrel, the Mouser! I actually wasn't even aware of the existence of these illustrations until I opened up the magazine!

Now, I don't know what to tell you regarding the "true worth" of this pulp. As I say, I paid $50, so I guess that is what this copy is "worth" right now. A G+/2.7/OWL 6 copy just sold on eBay for $16. But these prices seem downright cheap to me, especially when you compare how far your hard earned dollar goes in the comic world. Heck, from a golden-age comic book perspective, $50 buys me, in VG+ condition...(all according to the 2000 Overstreet guide)...A DC superhero comic like Detective, Action or Wonder Woman from the mid-fifties; a Fawcett Captain Marvel-family comic from the late 40s; or a Barks Donald Duck issue from 1950. Heck, based on the guide, a similar condition issue of Justice League of America #10 or Amazing Spider-Man #26 (4th appearance of the Green Goblin, for heaven's sake) would cost about the same, in similar condition.

My thesis on the pulps is simple. Pulps in "collectible grade" (lets say VG+ to VF-) do exist...are amazingly affordable...are scarce by every indication...have historical significance...and, in the end, are fun to collect and look at! (But read the reprinted stories, not the pulps themselves, in order to preserve their condition!) In future columns, I will focus on some of my other recent purchases in the world of pulps; discuss grading of pulps further; check out some Internet sources for pulps; and of course, talk about the pulp marketplace on eBay.