"Pulp"? What's Dat?

What comes to your mind when you hear “pulp fiction,” “pulp magazine,” or “the pulps”? In today’s Pop Culture, the use of the term “pulp” goes far beyond its original meaning. The Quentin Tarantino movie, Pulp Fiction (1994), might very well have been the source of 

today’s usage. But Pulp Fiction was more homage to film history than a nod to the publishing history that it borrows the word “pulp” from.  The release of Tarantino’s flick was nearly 20 years ago and may rapidly be becoming an obscure point of reference.

Nearly 30 years ago, some efforts were made to bring back The Black Mask magazine – it was a weak attempt to capitalize on the title of a classic “pulp” magazine. At the same time Vintage Books (imprint of Random House, Inc.) had reprinted some of the classic stories from that magazine. The strength of this literary canon must have much more to do with breeding familiarity with the term “pulp fiction” – at least for the audience that it reached.

My recognition of the use of the term, “pulp” to describe a variety of literary styles and a magazine format, goes much further back. By the time that I would have been aware of the “pulps” back in the 1950s that period in publishing history had pretty much run its course. The economic growth of the post-World War II era, the growth of the movie industry, the increase in paperback book sales, and the beginnings of television represent a symphony to the demise of the “pulp” magazine era. Yet somehow these descriptive phrases are embedded in my knowledge base.

SO, WHAT IS PULP, REALLY?

So, we might ask about the term “pulp” – what does it mean? And, how did it come to be used in this context?  The term “pulp”, like “noir” in film, has evolved to have a more generic meaning than its literal origins.

The making of paper dates back to China around 105 AD. Paper was originally made from rags and later bamboo fiber broken down with lye. Over the centuries, the art and technique of making paper has evolved. Raw materials varied regionally with rags being the most common source of fiber. Challenges came from the quality of the raw materials, the pulping process, and surface treatments that improved strength and finish.

 It was during the 19^th century when the papermaking industry finally came of age. In 1843 a wood-grinding machine that produced ground wood pulp suitable for papermaking was invented.  It took well over a thousand years before papermaking could be done cheaply and efficiently by machine. Another milestone was achieved in 1854 when an alternative method, using chemical pulp to make paper was patented.

MAGAZINES FOR EVERYONE

Late in the 19^th century, magazine publishing was being refined, evolving from newspapers to story sheets to dime novels to magazines that were cut and trimmed similar to what we know today.  Also during this same time period, advances in education and literacy were taking place. A Federal Department of Education was founded in 1867. At the beginning of the 20^th century, roughly half the population between the ages of 5 and 19 were enrolled in school – by 1940, that figure had jumped to 75 percent.

Along with the development of papermaking, advances in magazine publishing are related to improved distribution.  In 1863, postage rates were streamlined into first-, second-, and third-class rates, and in 1879, the three classes of mail were reorganized so that magazines now enjoyed the same low postage cost as newspapers. The highest magazine circulations climbed from 40,000 before the Civil War to 100,000 by the end of the century.

In 1905, the post office refined the rules that defined which publications would be recognized as magazines to eliminate such abuses as passing off one-time advertising circulars or books as magazines and qualifying for reduced rates. Magazines must now have a known office address, consecutive numbering, a date of issue, an editorial focus such as literature, science, etc., and be assembled from printed sheets without heavy covers or binding.

INNOVATION HITS TOWN

Frank A. Munsey had been a telegraph operator in Augusta, Maine prior to moving to New York City in 1882 at the age of 28. He was determined to get into the publishing business and produced his first magazine, Golden Argosy, less than 3 months after his arrival in the big city. Under financed, but determined, Munsey managed to stay in publishing and quickly learned and developed his business.

Munsey’s original idea had been to publish his magazine for young readers but realized that, as his target market aged, there was a continuing need to develop new readers. In 1888 he changed the name of the magazine to The Argosy in an effort to attract more mature readers that might continue to purchase his magazine for a longer time. In 1889 he started Munsey’s Magazine to diversify and appeal to a different audience. Munsey’s ability to innovate was well documented in 1896 when he adapted a new form of low-cost wood pulp paper for the publication of The Argosy magazine.

Munsey is credited with being the first to use new high-speed printing presses to print on inexpensive, untrimmed, pulp paper in order to mass-produce affordable magazines. These are what became known as “pulp” magazines. They contained a variety of literary genres – action and adventure fiction set in all kinds of settings – western and ranch, desert and jungle, space and urban, high-seas and railroads. There were heroes of all kinds – foreign legion, sports, lawmen, concerned citizens, newspapermen, scientists, politicians, and detectives. This was literature written and published for the common man, a new literate reader who was intelligent yet humble, the housewife, the working class, and the professional. It was literature as entertainment for all.

“PULPS” TODAY

Today the usage of the term “pulp” has lost its roots but references literary practices that were established during the era of the “pulp” magazines – simplistic interpretations of right and wrong, strong decisive heroes, the willingness to make sacrifices to get to the source of evil, the strength to resist corruption, the value of principle over the temptations of money and power, respect for the weak provided they share a moral high-ground, gritty dialogue, and down and dirty action.