Warlock (1959)

[Paul Mackin]

On Apr 15, 2006, at 11:25 AM, Charles Albert wrote:

> Given your precocious sense of perspective, could you provide a few  
> examples of "Non-pulp" western novels written before 1965?
>
> much obliged.
>

  I'm not the person to ask. Haven't liked "westerns" of any kind  
since i was 12, which probably says as much about me as the Mary  
Gaitskill character's father's preference for Jo Stafford says about  
him. (and, in turn, HER, obviously}

Perhaps the domain of "pulp" has changed,  but it's beyond the  
wildest stretch of the imagination to call Warlock (the book) by that  
name , regardless of how good or bad it is.  Vincent and Jules had  
their obvious impact on the term's  usage, but there is a limit. It  
wouldn't surprise me at all however  if the author of Warlock had at  
one point in his career written  pulp fiction. You gotta eat.

The perfect example  of the "pulp western" would be "The Kenosha  
Kid," which young Tyrone S. may of may not have read when it appeared  
in the  August 1931 issue of Western Rangers magazine. Short stories  
and novellas of this type, printed on the cheapest paper available  
(it was practically still pulp),  might be written by talented young  
writers,  who were later to become well known authors, even literary  
ones  in some cases.  However, the stories had to be turned out very  
quickly and in great quantity. Plus, the writers were paid only a few  
cents a word. Consequently, there was never any time for rewriting or  
attention to felicitous phrasing.

A prominent feature  of the pulp mags of the twenties and thirties  
was their action-filled covers, in brilliant, well rendered color.  
Some of the artists got as discussed and popular as the favorite  
wordsmiths. The covers were often worth  the 10-cent price.
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