A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1891 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

Home › Exhibition › Pulp Fiction › Read

A complete issue · 16 pages · 1891

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741

1891 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 5 of 16 — 5 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 6 of 16 — 6 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 7 of 16 — 7 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 8 of 16 — 8 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 9 of 16 — 9 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 741 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

This serialized Western adventure by William G. Patten features Violet Vane (Philip Vane Howard), a genteel professional gambler known as "the Velvet Sport"—an honest card player traveling the mining camps of the West. Riding toward Magic City on business, Vane discovers a note from a captive woman claiming her father Daniel Marden was murdered by villains who now hold her prisoner, planning to steal her inheritance and eliminate her. Intrigued by the mystery and past experience as an amateur detective in Coffin City, Vane resolves to investigate. Upon arriving at Magic City—a small mining camp—he encounters Sledge-hammer Sam, a local bully who ridicules his refined appearance. Through ventriloquism and witty mimicry, Vane humiliates the aggressor, then defeats him with a swift kick. The encounter establishes Vane's competence despite his dandyish exterior as the serial begins unfolding its central mystery.

Browse this issue page by page

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