A complete issue · 24 pages · 1880
Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 165
A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1880 — all 24 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.
A complete issue · 24 pages · 1880
This Beadle and Adams serialized adventure by Charles Morris, author of numerous popular rail-themed stories, follows a mysterious railroad boy named Billy Baggage. After falling from a lightning express traveling forty miles per hour near Pittsburg, Billy is rescued by the compassionate Claire Hamilton, who finds him critically injured beside the tracks. Taken to the Hamilton mansion, he recovers over several days under a doctor's care, displaying an evasive, witty personality that mystifies the family. Billy fraternizes with young Lucy Hamilton through shared molasses taffy, while simultaneously antagonizing Claire's gentleman caller through impertinent observations. His refusal to explain his circumstances or true station creates persistent mystery. The narrative emphasizes Billy's quick wit, audacity, and streetwise humor counterposed against genteel domesticity, establishing tensions—social and romantic—that promise adventure and revelation.
Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.