PULPHOUSE: THE HARDBACK MAGAZINE

   Quarterly "magazine" in hardcover-book format, in fact an ORIGINAL-ANTHOLOGY series; ed Kristine Kathryn RUSCH; published by Dean Wesley SMITH trading as PULPHOUSE PUBLISHING of Eugene, Oregon; 11 issues (each 1250 copies) Fall 1988-Spring 1991; publication projected to cease after 12 issues. This interesting, eclectic and mostly successful experiment alternated horror, speculative fiction, fantasy and sf in different issues. Horror and dark fantasy, in which categories much of the best work appeared, were the most repeated genres. The intended market appears to have been sophisticated: P:THM published some experimental work, and despite the notional pigeonholing of the fiction into categories, many of its stories transcend or ignore genre conventions. Many new authors were published by P:THM; more experienced contributorsincluded George Alec EFFINGER, Charles DE LINT, Robert SHECKLEY, Lisa GOLDSTEIN, Joe R. Lansdale (1951-) and Harry TURTLEDOVE. An anthology isThe Best of Pulphouse: The Hardcover Magazine (anth 1991) ed Rusch.P:THM was replaced in 1991 by Pulphouse: A Weekly Magazine ed Smith, in small BEDSHEET format - first (test) issue marked "Issue Zero" (Mar 1, 1991),official \#1 dated June 1, 1991 - though for a number of months the two titles overlapped. The new 48pp magazine was anything but weekly to begin with, and, belatedly realistic, changed its title to Pulphouse: A Fiction Magazine with \#5 (Sep 20, 1991) and announced a biweekly schedule. In itseight official issues to Dec 1991 it published short fiction, serialized novels by Robert SHECKLEY, Spider and Jeanne ROBINSON and S.P. SOMTOW, and published nonfiction articles. P became more irregular in 1992, with only six issues, then lurched on with only two further issues in 1993, and one in 1994. \#18 came out in early 1995. This latter edition was guest-edited by Damon KNIGHT, and featured all stories about Jesus, all written by graduates of CLARION SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS' WORKSHOP. P is perfectly capable of lingering on like this for years, displaying all the wan fascination of the Undead.

   PN