Famous and Fantastic

This is third in a trio of pulp magazines that I was lucky enough to purchase at the recent Windy City paper show for the ridiculously low cover price - in this case, a whole 25 cents. One of the exhibitors had a spinner rack full of similar magazines from the 1930's thru the 50's. A sign atop the rack read something to the effect: "Old pulps - cover price. Limit 3. No dealers please."

Well, my friend Larry and I walked past it several times, as did so many others, all of us who noticed the sign thinking it had to be a joke. An aisle or two removed, we looked at each other and wondered if he was serious, so we decided to go back and check. When we got back there, one browser was putting back a really nice issue of Planet Stories, which Larry quickly snatched up along with two copies of Argosy. I found five sci-fi pulps and stressed for about five minutes which ones would comprise my final trio. The exhibitor was even adamant about making change for a dollar, digging in his pocket for fifty cents in change. I think he just wanted to have a little fun with it all and wanted to get the magazines into the hands of the collectors who would enjoy them most.

All I can say is thanks, Randy. It was a generous experiment and great fun.

Famous Fantastic Mysteries - June 1950 issue.

A fantastically-terrifying science-fiction classic of a cover by Norman Saunders.