“The Cisco Kid” became a great favorite with western/adventure fans during the 1940s. Dubbed “the Robin Hood of the Old West,” his radio adventures originated for many years at WOR, New York, and were widely syndicated by transcription by the Frederic W. Ziv Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Jack Mather and Harry Lang filled the lead roles, supported by the usual WOR stock company, and the transcribed series was produced for nine highly successful and lucrative years.Since the 1947-1956 syndicated ZIV series was pre-recorded, a great many of Cisco and Pancho’s adventures have been in the hands of collectors for years — with the majority of available programs dating from earlier entries in the series. Recently, however, a large collection of beautiful discs was discovered in Des Moines, Iowa — uncirculated and largely unplayed 16″ vinyl transcription recordings, carefully preserved by a local advertising agency. These programs have, for the most part, been unheard since the 1950s and most have never been available to collectors – a real “find” for radio enthusiasts everywhere.

In addition to their rarity, a unique feature of these restored broadcasts is the reintegration of regional commercials, voiced by well-known announcer Marvin Miller. The series was sponsored on a number of Midwestern radio stations by the bakers of Butter-nut Bread, and the program recordings were accompanied by separate discs containing the commercials. As presented in this set, the commercials have been edited back into the programs — allowing you to hear them just as they originally aired in the early 1950s.

Read by Milton Bagby. Liner Notes by Will Murray

Although born in Britain, Hugh B. Cave grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He began writing in the late 1920s, and soon became a very prolific pulp writer. Specializing in crime stories at first, he gravitated to Weird Tales and the so-called Shudder Pulps. Cave’s reputation only grew over the following decades, during which he racked up some 40 novels and over one thousand short stories in every genre imaginable.

 

Cave’s interest in the weird took a different turn in the post World War II era when he relocated to Haiti and became interested in the mysterious religion of Voodoo. He wrote one of the earliest sympathetic inside books on Voodoo, titled Haiti: High Road to Adventure, followed by a bestselling novel on the subject,The Cross and the Drum.

 

Stories in this first Hugh Cave compilation of Weird Menace classics ripped from the crumbling pages of Terror Tales date from before his encounters with the dark religion. Whatever supernatural rites Cave may have participated in, it led to him becoming one of the great grandmasters of pulp era fiction––as these suspenseful stories will attest.

 

Begin the bizarre journey by sailing to a dark rendezvous on Privacy Island, where a retired warden and his former inmates convene in the nightmarish account called “Terror Island.” In “Death’s Loving Arms,” a jungle beast-woman invades civilization to rip and rend and slay in order to satisfy her wonton bloodlust. Thrill to the terrible tale of the innocent churchman who was dragged down to perdition and presented with proof positive that he sold his soul to the Evil One in “Enslaved to Satan.” Finally, prepare for ultimate horror as we enter a long-deserted church which hosts dark, diabolic rites to become “Satan’s Sepulcher.”

 

Read with suitably portentous overtones by Milton Bagby. 7 hours $27.98 Audio CDs / $13.99 Download.

 

 

The Purple Invasion story #9 of 13
They thundered through the high passes of the Continental Divide, those rolling drums of doom, heralding the attack of the Purple Emperor’s mighty armies which had conquered all of Eastern America to the Rockies. Rallying to hold the Divide, Operator 5, alone with a handful of weary, starving defenders, pits himself against Rudolph’s unconquered destroying hordes, his only weapon the strategy of bold and desperate men with their backs to an alien seat. What has become known as the “War and Peace of the Pulps” commenced with the searing novel, Death’s Ragged Army, which appeared in the July, 1936 issue of Operator #5 magazine. The legions of Emperor Maximilian swept in and took over New England, initiating the Second War of Independence. Jimmy Christopher and his friends and allies in the Intelligence Service were enlisted in a desperate undertaking to hurl back to Europe the forces of the Purple Emperor. The legendary Purple Invasion series had begun and lasted an amazing 13 installments. In order to enjoy the unfolding storyline, it’s best to start with Death’s Ragged Army and read sequentially through to The Siege that Brought the Black Death. These 13 novels represent the most daring and unique departure ever in this kind of pulp magazine. Operator #5 and the Purple Invasion series returns in vintage pulp tales, reissued for today’s readers in electronic format. $2.99.

This is an authentic replica of an original pulp magazine published by Girasol Collectables. This edition is designed to give the reader an authentic taste of what a typical pulp magazine was like when it was first issued – but without the frailty or expense of trying to find a decades-old collectable to enjoy. The outer covers, the interior pages, and the advertisements are reprinted just as they appeared in the original magazine, left intact to give the reader the true feel of the original as well as an appreciation for the way in which these publications were first offered to their avid readers. To further enhance the “pulp experience”, this edition is printed on off-white bond paper intended to simulate the original look while, at the same time, assuring that this edition will last far longer than the original upon which it is based. The overall construction and appearance of this reprint is designed to be as faithful to the original magazine as is reasonably possible, given the unavoidable changes in production methods and materials. $35.00.