One of the most interesting periods in literary history was the day of pulp fiction. The kind of books and magazines created during this era were not only different in appearance, but also quite unique in their subject matter and delivery of the stories found inside. Even all these years later, talk of pulp cover artists is still a popular topic because of how different the artwork was for that time.

The first pulp fiction publication to feature color cover illustrations was The Popular Magazine, founded in 1903. The pulp cover artists were often established painters; artists like Edgar Franklin Wittmack made oil paintings for The Argosy and Short Stories, as well as for non-pulp magazines like Popular Science; N. C. Wyeth was a distinguished book illustrator who also contributed to The Popular Magazine.

Pulp fiction reached its golden age before the start of World War II and the ensuing paper shortage. During the early thirties, the industry reached its peak, and artists would paint on average one cover a week. As many new magazines emerged, publishers recognized the cover illustrations as a big selling point and started emphasizing eye-catching motifs. Thence were born the staples of pulp fiction covers, such as voluptuous femme-fatales, damsels in distress, lantern-jawed action heroes, stalking shadows and skeletal horrors.

As pulp fiction became increasingly popular, a new generation of illustrators pursued their careers exclusively as cover artists, including Earl Mayan (The Shadow), Frank R. Paul (Amazing Stories), Walter Baumhofer (Doc Savage and The Spider) and Margaret Brundage (Weird Tales). The magazines demanded quick turnaround, and artists often struggled to finish their work on time - a fact visible in the prominent brush strokes and "unpolished" looks of many cover illustrations. Illustrators could make around $50 per cover, which was a decent wage during the great depression.

The end of World War II saw many publications bankrupt because of the paper shortage during the war and the reduced demand for escapism in popular fiction during the post-war period. Some artists continued to illustrate pulp annuals and other magazines, while others, like Dick Sprang, moved on to other types of publications that were gaining momentum, namely comics. Their art also graced the covers of pulp novels - dime store paperbacks that dominated the mass-market landscape of the '50s and '60s. Artists like Robert A. McGuire, Barye Phillips, Rudolph Belarski, and Paul Rader painted hundreds of covers during the Golden Age of Lesbian Pulps.

The great legacy of pulp artists is still visible in comics to this day. Many people collect original and reprint images from the age of pulp fiction simply because of the cover artwork. In fact, the style of the artwork has become a jumping off point for many modern artists today.