A complete, restored issue of Pulp Fiction from 1894 — 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 · 1894

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900

1894 · Free to read

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 2 of 16 — 2 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 3 of 16 — 3 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 4 of 16 — 4 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 5 of 16 — 5 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 6 of 16 — 6 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 7 of 16 — 7 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 8 of 16 — 8 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 9 of 16 — 9 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 10 of 16 — 10 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 11 of 16 — 11 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 12 of 16 — 12 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 13 of 16 — 13 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 14 of 16 — 14 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 15 of 16 — 15 / 16

Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 900 — page 16 of 16 — 16 / 16

About this issue

This issue of Beadle and Adams' dime novel (October 28, 1894) features the opening of "Jumping-Jack's Jubilee; or, The Circus Queen's Shadower," a romance of circus life by J. C. Cowdrick. The protagonist is fourteen-year-old Jack Reed, nicknamed "Jumping-Jack" for his acrobatic abilities, who eagerly seeks work with the circus arriving in the town of Warrenton. After impressing superintendent Harry Murray with his backflips and jumping skills, Jack gains employment carrying water. He clashes with Tom Hunter, a brutal foreman, defending himself with a water pail and a perfectly-aimed kick. The narrative introduces a dark conspiracy: Hunter harbors revenge against circus performer Mlle. Lucie and her child "Baby Bess," seeking to harm them over a romantic rivalry from seven years prior. A drunk named "Old Wit" becomes Hunter's unwitting accomplice, agreeing to assist in an unspecified scheme for five dollars. Jumping-Jack, overhearing their plotting, becomes positioned as the protector of the endangered child.

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