A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1889 — all 16 pages of painted-cover fiction magazines that launched science fiction, horror, and hardboiled crime, free to page through at ComicBooks.com.

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A complete issue · 16 pages · 1889

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 646

1889 · Free to read

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About this issue

This issue of Beadle and Adams' weekly (December 10, 1889) features "Cowboy Gid, the Cattle-Range Detective: A Romance of the Yellowstone, or The Grand Corral at Cross-Notch," by Lieut. A. K. Sims. The narrative follows Gideon Dane, a cowboy employed to investigate wholesale cattle theft in the Bitter Creek region. After pursuing a Blackfoot half-breed thief named Joe who has stolen his prized silver-mounted saddle, Dane encounters a wild, mysterious hermit named Joel Featherstone, who has lived in caves since witnessing a traumatic event. Dane then discovers an active cattle-rustling operation in progress. The cowboys chase the thieves across broken terrain; Dane pursues closest but the rustlers escape after firing a deceptive shot. The narrative combines frontier adventure with detective work, featuring gunplay, horseback chases, and investigation of organized cattle theft.

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