- March 27, 2024
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John Kump thinks of himself as the "caretaker" of thousands of pulp fiction-era magazines.
BY WAYNE GRANT | STAFF WRITER
The titles tell the story: "Railroad to Hell," "Daughters of Lusty Torment," "Death in the Doorway," and "Murder at Horror Mansion."
Most of the titles in 62-year-old John Kump's 3,500-piece collection of pulp magazines from the 1920s and 1930s scream of lurid tales of mystery and high adventure. They feature colorful illustrations of women in distress, horrific monsters, brave men fighting detestable villains.
These magazines provided escape for many in that era, Kump says. Printed on cheap paper, they were fragile and are now hard to find — but not at his house. The retired paramedic's collection has completely overtaken certain rooms in his home.
The pulp magazines, which developed from the dime novels of the 1800s, were quickly produced and not considered high literature, Kump says, but they satisfied a need.
“They represent an era,” he said. “It was a transitional time from the crazy life of the 1920s to the bread lines of the 1930s.”
Society went from the pinnacle of high living to utter depression and despair in a very short period. Kump, 62, said he has always been interested in that period, particularly because it was the time that his parents grew to adulthood.
Printed cheaply, the pulp magazines were meant to be thrown away after reading. Kump calls it a “miracle” that copies survived.
“It’s an honor to be caretaker for them,” he said. “They are part of history.”
He said the magazines provided an escape for people who “didn’t have a dime.” Through the stories, readers could visit far away lands and do things they could never afford in real life.
“During the Depression, they could escape for an hour or two and forget there’s no bread in the cabinet,” he said.
They would escape into tales such as “Startling Stories,” “Detective Magazine,” “Phantom Detective,” “Romantic Adventure,” “Strange Stories,” “Secret Agent X,” “The Shadow” or “Captain Future — Man of Tomorrow.”
And as the era progressed, the magazines became more sensational, Kump said. There were “spicy” stories with sexy covers and the stories became more extreme with topics of incest or cannibalism. The spicy versions sold for 25 cents while regular pulp magazines sold for 10 cents.
The pulp fiction era is the birthplace of many of the characters in movies and comic books today, Kump added. The first appearance of Tarzan was in an issue of "All Story Magazine." Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the book is the “holy grail” of collectors, said Kump, who owns a copy.
“There are some around but people hold on to them like grim death,” Kump said.
Other modern heroes, such as Superman, the Lone Ranger and Perry Mason were also developed from pulp characters, said Kump, who first got into the genre in the 1960s, when Bantam Books reprinted the Doc Savage series. They printed all 181 issues that originally appeared from 1933 to 1949.
“The stories had all the things a teen boy was impressed by,” he said.
He didn't get serious about collecting, though, until 2002, when he decided to acquire originals from the Doc Savage series. He went to conventions and found sellers online. He would drive to New York from his home in Washington D.C. just to get a single issue.
“I became obsessed with getting the entire series,” he said. “Once you dive into the deep end of pulp collecting, it’s hard to get out.”
Kump enjoys going through the magazines and looking for notes or names that people have written. He said it brings a personal touch.
“Twice I’ve been able to track down the families of the person who once owned the book,” he said.
When Jack and his wife, Joannie, decided to retire to Ormond Beach from Washington D.C., they built their house with his collection in mind. His magazines are kept only in certain rooms and he’s not allowed to exhibit them in other parts of the house.
“But I’m running out of room,” he said. “I’m going to have to invade other parts of the house.”