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Golden Age Fiction

Golden Age Fiction

By: Paul Lawley-Jones
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About this listen

Stories from the "Golden Age of Pulp Fiction." The "Golden Age of Pulp Fiction" is generally considered to be from the last decade of the 1800s to the mid-1900s, when magazines published on cheap pulp paper filled (mostly American) news-stands. Notable examples of these pulp fiction magazines include Argosy, Blue Book Magazine, Adventure, Detective Story Magazine, Weird Tales, and Astounding Stories. If you have a story that you'd like me to perform, please let me know using the email address provided. Please note that performance of a story is not a condoning, endorsement, or promotion of attitudes, prejudices, biases or opinions therein—particularly of gender and gender roles, ethnicity, disability, and sexuality—that an inhabitant of modern times would find distasteful.2025 Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • The Western Star, by Agatha Christie
    Jun 22 2025

    Two priceless diamonds, stolen from their original owner, but destined to be returned. Threatening letters from a mysterious Chinaman. A noblewoman's affair with a famous American actor. Hercule Poirot's little grey cells are once again put to the test.

    Today's story is "The Western Star" by Agatha Christie. It appeared in the February 1924 issue of The Blue Book Magazine on pages 38 to 47.

    Please be aware that this story contains derogatory racial references which are not acceptable nowadays.

    Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, the murder mystery The Mousetrap, which has been performed in the West End of London since 1952. A writer during the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction," Christie has been called the "Queen of Crime"—now trademarked by her estate—or the "Queen of Mystery." She also wrote six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was made a Dame (DBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies.

    Links

    Reaper: reaper.fm

    LibSyn: libsyn.com

    "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

    If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know using the Contact Form.

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    53 mins
  • A Thought For Tomorrow, by Robert E Gilbert
    Jun 18 2025

    Orville Potts couldn't escape the asylum to the past, as he didn't have detailed knowledge of it to create an adequate visualization. The future, though, was unwritten; he could visualize it however he wanted...

    "A Thought for Tomorrow" appeared in "Galaxy Science Fiction," November 1952, pages 83 - 94.

    Robert E Gilbert (May 6, 1924 – April 4, 1993) was an American science fiction writer.

    Links

    Reaper: reaper.fm

    LibSyn: libsyn.com

    "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

    If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know using the Contact Form.

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    34 mins
  • The Vortex Blaster Makes War, by Edward E 'Doc' Smith
    Jun 15 2025

    From the end of Time it came, a call for help as brave, as ageless as the very galaxies: "Save us or die, Vortex Blaster—but if you die, two worlds shall perish with you!"

    Today's story is "The Vortex Blaster Makes War" by Edward E "Doc" Smith. It appeared in the October 1942 issue of "Astonishing Stories" on pages 39 to 55.

    Edward Elmer Smith (May 2, 1890 – August 31, 1965) was an American food engineer and science-fiction author, best known for the Lensman and Skylark series. He is sometimes called the father of space opera. In 1963, he was presented the inaugural "First Fandom Hall of Fame" award at the 21st World Science Fiction Convention in Washington, D.C.

    Links

    Reaper: reaper.fm

    LibSyn: libsyn.com

    "Mesmerizing Galaxy" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

    If there's a story you'd like me to narrate, or a genre you'd like me to include more of, please let me know using the Contact Form.

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    1 hr and 10 mins
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