Science Fiction & Fantasy

The following pages contain covers, most from my own collection (except for the Weird Tales pulps), and short informative pieces on the artists and writers. Clicking on the thumbnail pictures reveals larger images.
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weird1.JPG (59342 bytes)Weird Tales began in 1923 and quickly became one of the greatest horror and fantasy publications of the pulp era.
weird2.JPG (61454 bytes)Many covers were illustrated by Margaret Brundage, who preferred the erotic to the horrific. She worked mainly in pastels.
weird3.JPG (59379 bytes)Other artists included J. Allen St. John and Virgel Finley, who did mostly interior illustrations for Weird Tales. Finley later graduated to cover work on science fiction pulps.
weird5.JPG (66885 bytes)Besides a stable of regular authors, young unpublished writers were often given a chance in Weird Tales. The August 1928 issue had a story titled "The Vengeance of Nitocris" by a 14-year old Tennessee Williams.
weird6.JPG (54700 bytes)Another writer given a  chance was Robert Bloch, who, at 17, had his first story published (January 1935) and continued to write 66 more stories for Weird Tales.
weird10.JPG (65884 bytes)Two of the more famous of the stable of regulars were H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.
Even though Weird Tales lasted over 30 years and was considered the best of its kind, it was not a financially reliable market for writers.  Regular contributors were sometimes owed for five or six published stories, and pathetic payment plans were sometimes offered.  Many writers and artists went to more lucrative publishers like Street & Smith, Fawcett, and Popular Publications.
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