A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1887 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

Home › Exhibition › Pulp Fiction › Read

A complete issue · 16 pages · 1887

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539

1887 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 5 of 16 — 5 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 6 of 16 — 6 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 7 of 16 — 7 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 8 of 16 — 8 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 9 of 16 — 9 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 539 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

This serial installment opens with Deadwood Dick Jr., a renowned detective, arriving in Galveston, Texas at the request of attorney Horace Henshaw. Henshaw hires Dick to investigate an organized gang of grave-robbers plaguing the city's cemetery. Over six months, the criminals have systematically plundered tombs: stealing jewelry buried with a young woman, money from an old miser's coffin, clothing from the bodies of wealthy citizens, and silver fittings from expensive caskets—notably $1,500 worth of silver from the coffin of Henshaw's niece. The local police, led by Chief of Police, have kept the crimes quiet to avoid alerting the gang. Detective Gilbert Morey has been stationed at the cemetery without success. Dick agrees to take the case discreetly. The narrative introduces Henshaw's spendthrift son Harry and Detective Morey, then concludes as Dick prepares to investigate, planning to lodge at a boarding cottage run by Mrs. Blair.

Browse this issue page by page

Each page has its own page — the cartoon, who’s in it, and what the satire means.