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Culturegasm: very early Weird Tales covers

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  1.  (1487.1)
    I ran across a thread in another forum recently with a pic of a copy of Weird Tales Volume 1 No. 1 (1923), and realized that although I've run across numerous SF Pulp covers online, I've seen very few early Weird Tales.

    It's interesting stuff -- much of it raw, unpolished, and very spooky. Here's a couple of other 1923 covers:





    Here's a site with pics of numerous early WT covers, and descriptions of the contents. Well worth a look.
  2.  (1487.2)
    Of course, later on, WT had the use of one of the greatest illustrators of the pulp age, Margaret Brundage:

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      CommentAuthorJacen
    • CommentTimeMar 20th 2008
     (1487.3)
    Nice. First thing I noticed was just how many of them were "Damsel in Distress" covers. I guess that wasn't uncommon in any of the pulps back then, it just stands out to me because of how politically incorrect it is now. Here's my favorite:

    big fucking cat
  4.  (1487.4)
    Does anyone know any good art books that reprint the work of pulp artist like Brundage and St. John?
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      CommentAuthorJon Wake
    • CommentTimeMar 26th 2008
     (1487.5)


    I'd forgotten that Houdini wrote several sensationalist versions of his own exploits.
    • CommentAuthorgraves
    • CommentTimeApr 4th 2008
     (1487.6)
    Who would own the rights to republish Weird Tales (covers) - or would they be in the public domain..?

    There are a handful of books which reprint Pulp covers, although I've not been able to find nearly as many as some reviewers/commentators suggest there are. Here's a few, though: Robert Lesser's Pulp Art; Frank M. Robinson's Incredible Pulps and Pulp Culture (the latter with Lawrence Davidson); and Jaye Zimet's Strange Sisters: The Art of Lesbian Pulp Fiction.
    There's a book of the art of Rudolph Belarski: Pulp Art Masters (co-authored with John P. Gunnison), but I don't think there are any specifically on Margaret Brundage (although some of her work mught be in Pulp Culture) or J. Allen St. John (although his work is covered in Lesser's book).

    The other "books" of interest to art fans might be the multiple Heritage Comic and Comic Art Signature Auction catalogues.
    • CommentAuthorS.H. Segal
    • CommentTimeApr 12th 2008 edited
     (1487.7)
    Interesting note about those Houdini stories. Here's a quote from founding publisher Jacob Henneberger, excerpted from Robert Weinberg's great history book The Weird Tales Story:

    "Not long after I had inaugurated Weird Tales, I had a call by Houdini at my Chicago office; he expressed more than usual enthusiasm for the magazine and the meeting resulted in a friendship lasting until his untimely death a few years later. He often regaled me with experiences of his that rivaled anything I had ever read in books. Several of these I published but they were written in such a prosaic style that they evoked little comment. However, one day he unfolded one astounding story of a trip to Egypt that I knew only a Lovecraft could do justice to. Lovecraft did a masterful job on the outline and details I sent him but asked not to have his name associated with publication."

    Adding to the above story was the fact that Lovecraft wrote the story shortly before his marriage to Sonia Greene. In best slapstick fashion, HPL managed to lose the manuscript, and to meet his deadline, the story was rewritten on his wedding night, with Sonia doing the typing.

    That would be this issue:

    Weird Tales 1924
    • CommentAuthorS.H. Segal
    • CommentTimeApr 12th 2008
     (1487.8)
    Graves: Robert Weinberg, who wrote the aforementioned history, runs the Chicago-based Weird Tales Ltd., which owns the WT trademark. That's who one would contact to commercially license the old cover images.
  9.  (1487.9)
    So WT magazine licenses the trademark from Robert Weinberg?
    • CommentAuthorS.H. Segal
    • CommentTimeApr 12th 2008
     (1487.10)
    Yes. Weird Tales Ltd. has licensed the WT trademark to the magazine ever since its resurrection 20 years ago.
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      CommentAuthorelizabeth
    • CommentTimeApr 13th 2008
     (1487.11)
    Wow - something about Houdini I didn't know. And WT-related to boot! That is so rockin'.

    Can't wait for our panel next week.
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      CommentAuthorgroonk
    • CommentTimeApr 18th 2008
     (1487.12)
    huh. my research on Houdini needs to bump up a notch.
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      CommentAuthorLinsterg
    • CommentTimeApr 19th 2008
     (1487.13)
    @Groonk: I contacted Houdini in a Ouija seance twenty years ago. He said, "I'd sell my soul for ham and mashed potatoes." Also, he thought it was about 1927. Gave me the willies - the Ouija board hardly ever worked with anybody else, but with Houdini it was alive.
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      CommentAuthorLucifal
    • CommentTimeApr 21st 2008
     (1487.14)
    I don't go that far back. Here's my offering. From 1952 I think. Going by the multitude of adverts at the back it seems lot's of people used to suffer from ruptures. What did they do in the '50s? Jive?
    Weird Tales - 1952 - editor D. McIlwraith

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