A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1885 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

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A complete issue · 16 pages · 1885

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 421

1885 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 421 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

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About this issue

This issue of Beadle and Adams' Weekly (August 18, 1885) features the serial "A Cute Case: A Romance of To-day," by Edward L. Wheeler, author of the Deadwood Dick novels. The protagonist, Deadwood Dick—a famous Western ex-outlaw turned detective—boards a Philadelphia-to-New York train where he meets a young woman in black named Norine Norval. She claims to be traveling to retrieve her brother's remains and asks Dick to exchange her ten-dollar bill; he obliges from a well-filled pocket-book. Upon arriving at his hotel, Dick discovers he has been expertly robbed of his wallet and watch. Suspecting Miss Norval, he finds three discarded paper scraps containing a pawn ticket, her Philadelphia address, and notes about Colonel Dudley. He telegraphs Philadelphia authorities and receives confirmation of her good character, complicating his suspicions. The story combines detective work with urban crime, establishing a mystery for resolution.

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Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.