''Western Story Magazine'' was a

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

published by

Street & Smith Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as dime novels and pulp fiction. They also published comic books and sporting yearbooks. Among t ...

, which ran from 1919 to 1949.Doug Ellis, John Locke, and John Gunnison, (editors),''The Adventure House Guide to the Pulps'', Adventure House, 2000. (pp. 311–12). It was the first of numerous pulp magazines devoted to

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

fiction. In its heyday, ''Western Story Magazine'' was one of the most successful pulp magazines; in 1921 the magazine was selling over half a million copies each issue.Ed Hulse, ''The Blood 'n' Thunder Guide to Collecting Pulps''. Murania Press, 2009. (pp. 137–141) The headquarters was in New York City.

History

''Western Story Magazine'' began when Street & Smith executive Henry Ralston decided to convert one of the company's nickel weeklies, ''New Buffalo Bill Weekly'', into a pulp. Ralston installed Frank Blackwell as editor of the new magazine. The magazine attracted a number of famous Western authors, including

Charles Alden Seltzer Charles Alden Seltzer (August 15, 1875 – February 9, 1942) was an American writer. He was a prolific author of western novels, had writing credits for more than a dozen film titles, and authored numerous stories published in magazines, most p ...

H. Bedford-Jones Henry James O'Brien Bedford-Jones (April 29, 1887 – May 6, 1949) was a Canadian-American historical, adventure fantasy, science fiction, crime and Western writer who became a naturalized United States citizen in 1908. Biography Bedford-Jones ...

, Stewart Edward White, W. Ryerson Johnson and

William MacLeod Raine William MacLeod Raine (June 22, 1871 – July 25, 1954), was a British-born American novelist who wrote fictional adventure stories about the American Old West. In 1959, he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowb ...

. The November 25, 1920 issue was the first issue to carry the work of

Max Brand Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 – May 12, 1944) was an American writer known primarily for his Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. He (as Max Brand) also created the popular fictional character of young medical intern D ...

(writing under the pseudonym George Owen Baxter). Brand's work would dominate the magazine in the next decade; he would write dozens of stories for ''Western Story Magazine'' both under his own name and several pseudonyms. ''Western Story Magazine'' was also prominent in publishing material by women writers, including B. M. Bower and

Cherry Wilson Cherry Wilson (born Rosemary Burdick, July 12, 1893 – November 1976) was an American novelist known for her work in the Western genre. Several of her books were turned into Hollywood films. Biography Cherry was born in Pennsylvania to Frank ...

. In the 1930s, the publication's roster of authors expanded to include

Walt Coburn Walter John Coburn (October 23, 1889 – May 1971) was an American writer of Westerns. Coburn was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana Territory, the son of Robert Coburn Senior, the founder of the noted ''Circle C Ranch'' located south of Malt ...

William Colt MacDonald Allan William Colt MacDonald (December 2, 1891 – March 27, 1968), who used the name William Colt MacDonald for his writing, was an American writer of westerns born in Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of ...

and

W. C. Tuttle W. C. Tuttle (November 11, 1883 – June 6, 1969) was an American writer who sold more than 1000 magazine stories and dozens of novels, almost all of which were westerns. Biography Tuttle wrote mainly for pulp magazines; his main market was ...

, while noted pulp illustrator

Walter M. Baumhofer Walter Martin Baumhofer (November 1, 1904September 23, 1987) was an American illustrator notable for his cover paintings seen on the pulp magazines of Street & Smith and other publishers. Baumhofer's parents immigrated from Germany. His father ...

contributed several covers.Nick Carr, ''The Western Pulp Hero'', Starmont House, 1989, (pp. 119–120). In the late 1930s, Blackwell was succeeded as editor by John Burr, who edited the magazine until it ceased publication in 1949.

References

External links

''Western Story Magazine''
at the Pulp Magazines Project

at Vintage Pulps Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1919 Magazines disestablished in 1949 Magazines published in New York City Pulp magazines Street & Smith Fiction magazines {{fiction-mag-stub