The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps: The Best Crime Stories from the Pulps During Their Golden Age--The '20s, '30s & '40s

1200 pages of rich, chewy pulp goodness! You can't find better value for your money anywhere. All the big names -- Gardner, Cain, Woolrich, chandler, Hammett. The very best of the rest. A complete Race Williams novel. A must-have!

The best way to enjoy these pulp classics is to read them as they were intended -- remove each story from the binding, fold it up, and carry it with you for reading on the go. The book is *HUGE* . . . like reading a phone book. You'll get cramps, and may need orthopedic surgery. So rip it apart into sections and pretend they're old pulp magazines. Tuck them in your pocket, read them on the train or bus, or better yet in a bar, or maybe on stakeout. (By the way, the correct way to read two-column pages is to fold the mag in half lengthwise and read each column as if it were a separate page. Ask someone's great-grandfather -- they'll show you how.) -bye-

This book may be the most enjoyable read I have encountered in many a year - Otto Penzler has not only assembled a treasure trove of sometimes clever, often exciting and always fun whodunits; he has presented the reader with a veritable time machine. These stories were originally published in monthly "pulp" magazines in the 20s,30s and 40s, and they place the reader squarely into the essence of those decades. We learn so much of the popular culture of those times - the cars, the slang, attitudes towards romance, towards issues of crime and punishment - consumer products - It was a blast to read and almost made me wish I were alive in those good old bad days. Well Done!

Let's say you're somewhat interested in the crime pulps of the golden age. This is basically where you should start. Due to it's massive size, you also might just end here too. Which isn't a bad thing because there isn't a throwaway in the bunch. You have your classic authors and forgotten gems. Probably the best anthology I've ever had the joy of reading. Required reading for any mystery fan.

This telephone-book sized anthology (clocking in at nearly 1200 pages!) lives up to its aspiration to be "The best crime stories from the pulps in their Golden Age". It is divided into sections "The Crimefighters", "The Villians", and "The Dames", with an appropriate introduction for each. Of course, the true masters are well represented: Raymond Chandler, Dashiel Hammett, Cornell Wollrich, Erle Stanley Gardner, James M. Cain et al. But there are plenty of lesser known authors to round things out. One oddity is "Sally the Sleuth", a comic-strip style from "Spicy Detective" - apparently created solely for the purpose of having most of her clothes ripped off. Obviously many of the best stories have been anthologized before, but can you believe there is a Hammett story that has never seen print? The only drawback is that this might be too much of a good thing -at just about three pounds, it's a real wrist-bender of a volume! There are minor illustrations scattered throughout, although I would have sacrificed a couple of stories for a selection of pulp covers. At this price, why would any pulp fan pass - go for it!