Pulp Reading List

[Trebuchet]

While we've already done a nice list of pulp reading material in this forum, I'd like to approach this from the angle of introducing a neophyte to the genre. If you wanted to show an interested new player what the pulp genre is all about, what five books and/or short stories would you suggest? These need not be fiction, although I'm sure most will be. (Please, no novelizations of modern pulp films such as Indiana Jones!)

What would your list include?

[Steve Long]

Hmmm. Good question!

1. I'd pick one good Shadow novel. There are plenty to choose from, it's just a matter of figuring out what this person would most enjoy.

2. Ditto with one Doc Savage novel.

3-5. Three good anthologies of Pulp stories to showcase a wide mix of subgenres and styles.

If you want to run a masked crimefighter campaign, I'd probably substitute one good Spider novel for one of the anthologies.

The nonfiction end of things is so broad I figure I'll leave it be, though if you want a good feel for the world political situation of the Thirties I'd recommend The Dark Valley.

[Lemurion]

I'd definitely go with at least one good Doc and one good Shadow novel, as well as Philip Wylie's Gladiator. Then at least one collection of REH's non Conan stories (preferably the Boxing stories). For "nonfiction" I'd probably want to add Farmer's Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life, for flavor and an example of just how pervasive the genre can be.

[assault]

The Maltese Falcon, or some similar hard-boiled detective story. Of course, it might be easier just to show them the movie.

One of Raymond Chandler's stories might be a good alternative.

[Trebuchet]

Thanks for the input, guys!

We are, of course, also trying to compile a similar list for our upcoming Pulp Hero campaign set in 1905; which has been difficult because frankly it's a road less travelled. Here's what Mentor and I have come up with so far for an early 20th century pulp reading list:

Tarzan of the Apes; Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan would be 17 in 1905, just a year or two before he meets Jane.)

The Lost World; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Allan Quatermain; H. Rider Haggard

The Alienist; Caleb Carr

Heart of Darkness; Joseph Conrad

Other possibilities include She by H. Rider Haggard; any Sherlock Holmes compilation (We considered The Seven Percent Solution; but that's apparently never been an actual book); any Nick Carter (a Doc Savage predecessor from about 1902 on) story. The biggest difficulty is that most stories written in this period tend to be Victorian. We're looking for just-barely-post-Victorian stuff.