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The Weird Tales Story
Book by Weinberg, Robert, Price, E. Hoffmann
144 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 1999
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37 people want to read
About the author
Robert Weinberg
192 books54 followersAlso published as Harrison Denmark.
Robert Weinberg (also credited as Bob Weinberg) was an American author. His work spans several genres including non-fiction, science fiction, horror, and comic books.
Weinberg sold his first story in 1967. Most of his writing career was conducted part-time while also owning a bookstore; he became a full time writer after 1997.
Weinberg was also an editor, and edited books in the fields of horror, science fiction and western. In comics, Weinberg wrote for Marvel Comics; his first job was on the series Cable, and he later created the series Nightside.
Wikipedia entry: Robert Weinberg
Robert Weinberg (also credited as Bob Weinberg) was an American author. His work spans several genres including non-fiction, science fiction, horror, and comic books.
Weinberg sold his first story in 1967. Most of his writing career was conducted part-time while also owning a bookstore; he became a full time writer after 1997.
Weinberg was also an editor, and edited books in the fields of horror, science fiction and western. In comics, Weinberg wrote for Marvel Comics; his first job was on the series Cable, and he later created the series Nightside.
Wikipedia entry: Robert Weinberg
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 13, 2020
A bit of a whistle-stop tour of the magazine's long history, largely superficial but hey, it's Weird Tales. And it would have been worth it for E Hoffman Price's essay alone.
November 19, 2023
This review is of the 1999 reprint by Wildside Press.
This is a good overview of the history of a legendary pulp magazine whose influence and legend are wildly disproportionate to its modest circulation, limited finances, and long-ago cessation. It was published, in its original incarnation, from 1929 to 1954. But what a run! In its limited lifespan it was the spawning ground for authors like HP Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and many others who became marquee names in horror and fantasy fiction.
Weinberg includes profiles and insightful and entertaining commentary about many of the authors and editors associated with WT, several of whom contributed essays and reminiscences for chapter 5, "Recollections of Weird Tales". Now at last I know the origin (or at least the first recorded instance) of Robert Bloch's famous quip about having the heart of a small boy.
My only complaint is that chapter 4, "The Stories", in which Weinberg describes the contents of many notable issues of the magazine, gives away many story endings. This might not have been perceived as a problem in 1977 when Weinberg's history first published, since the vintage issues of Weird Tales being discussed were rare and hard to find, and secondary sources like this might be the only knowledge availble to an interested reader. Nowadays, due to the black magic of the internet, many early issues of WT are available as legal, downloadable pdfs if you look for them, and collected works of the better-known authors are available as reprints via online book markets, so readers intrigued by the type of story that appeared here can seek them out in full.
Weinberg's discussion of the magazine's flamboyant front covers (chapter 6) and interior art (chapter 7) feature dozens of black-and-white illustrations as well as insightful and opinionated commentary. The interior illustrations feature here may well be an accurate representation of the authentic WT reading experience. As Weinberg says, the interior illos varied dramatically in quality, and while frequently quite atmospheric, were printed on rough pulp paper on which fine levels of detail could not be reproduced. In the case of the colorful covers by Margaret Brundage, Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok, and others, the small, somewhat muddy grayscale reproductions shown here mainly serve to give the interested reader an idea which artists' work he(she) may want to track down in larger format color tributes.
Weinberg makes a strong case that Weird Tales was indeed, as it billed itself, "The Unique Magazine". Even when competitors arose to imitate its format (chapter 10), they failed to match its legendary stature, which seems to have come from a unique combination of authorial associations and editorial flair. No doubt there have been more in depth histories and commentaries published since The Weird Tales Story originally appeared in 1977, but I found it a good introduction to its subject.
This is a good overview of the history of a legendary pulp magazine whose influence and legend are wildly disproportionate to its modest circulation, limited finances, and long-ago cessation. It was published, in its original incarnation, from 1929 to 1954. But what a run! In its limited lifespan it was the spawning ground for authors like HP Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and many others who became marquee names in horror and fantasy fiction.
Weinberg includes profiles and insightful and entertaining commentary about many of the authors and editors associated with WT, several of whom contributed essays and reminiscences for chapter 5, "Recollections of Weird Tales". Now at last I know the origin (or at least the first recorded instance) of Robert Bloch's famous quip about having the heart of a small boy.
My only complaint is that chapter 4, "The Stories", in which Weinberg describes the contents of many notable issues of the magazine, gives away many story endings. This might not have been perceived as a problem in 1977 when Weinberg's history first published, since the vintage issues of Weird Tales being discussed were rare and hard to find, and secondary sources like this might be the only knowledge availble to an interested reader. Nowadays, due to the black magic of the internet, many early issues of WT are available as legal, downloadable pdfs if you look for them, and collected works of the better-known authors are available as reprints via online book markets, so readers intrigued by the type of story that appeared here can seek them out in full.
Weinberg's discussion of the magazine's flamboyant front covers (chapter 6) and interior art (chapter 7) feature dozens of black-and-white illustrations as well as insightful and opinionated commentary. The interior illustrations feature here may well be an accurate representation of the authentic WT reading experience. As Weinberg says, the interior illos varied dramatically in quality, and while frequently quite atmospheric, were printed on rough pulp paper on which fine levels of detail could not be reproduced. In the case of the colorful covers by Margaret Brundage, Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok, and others, the small, somewhat muddy grayscale reproductions shown here mainly serve to give the interested reader an idea which artists' work he(she) may want to track down in larger format color tributes.
Weinberg makes a strong case that Weird Tales was indeed, as it billed itself, "The Unique Magazine". Even when competitors arose to imitate its format (chapter 10), they failed to match its legendary stature, which seems to have come from a unique combination of authorial associations and editorial flair. No doubt there have been more in depth histories and commentaries published since The Weird Tales Story originally appeared in 1977, but I found it a good introduction to its subject.
May 28, 2013
A must read for fans of the magazine interested in its history and famous writers certainly for collectors as well.
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July 14, 2015Landmark work ... the beginning of the modern study and appreciation of Weird Fiction.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews