The Argosy, Vol. 49

This issue of The Argosy predates the lurid painted covers that would define the pulp era — its plain typeset title page reflects its origins as a family fiction weekly, not yet the wood-pulp adventure machine it would become. Founded by Frank Munsey in 1882, The Argosy is nonetheless the direct ancestor of every pulp magazine that followed: in 1896 Munsey converted it to cheap wood-pulp paper and all-fiction content, effectively inventing the format. This May 1890 number carries The House of Halliwell by Mrs. Henry Wood, serialized domestic fiction typical of the transitional moment — before Munsey's pivot unleashed the science fiction, weird horror, and adventure genres the comic book would later inherit.