It's #LibrariesWeek this week, so today I'm asking you to something very brave and noble.

I'm asking you to visit your local public library... #MondayMotivaton Image
The Public Libraries Act of 1850 (And the 1853 Act in Scotland) established the principle of free public libraries for the self-improvement of all citizens in Britain, irrespective of their income.

It was a hard-won battle... Image
Opponents of the Act believed public libraries would become sites of social agitation: extending education to the lower orders of society would lead to libraries becoming working class "lecture halls" full of radical ideas and demands. Image
Later Acts built on these noble ideas of 1850, and the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 created a statutory duty for local authorities ‘to provide a comprehensive and efficient library service for all persons.' Image
But statistics from the 2018 Libraries Taskforce showed a continuing decline in public library use (both in visits and book issues) in England. Image
And then came COVID19...

Look, librarians are tough cookies. We fight on the front line of ideas every day. And we need you guys to back us up! Image
So that's where YOU come in! Rather than tweet about the need for public libraries I need you to take a brave pill, get on the bus, and go visit yours. Image
As it's #LibrariesWeek Your local public library will have made itself especially alluring for lapsed library patrons, as well as making itself COVID secure. They'll do all they can to encourage you to come back to the habit of borrowing books for free. FOR FREE!!! Image
I mean, think about it: these are FREE BOOKS they're offering. You'd queue up in the rain for a half-priced Starbucks cinnamon latte, so Why not go somewhere where stories and knowledge are FREE? Image
How much do you spend on books? Go on, add it up. Gulp!

Now let me tell you - you can more than double your reading without spending a penny more! You just need to visit your local library. They're online too if that's easier, and they'll probably have kerbside pick-up as well. Image
Put it this way: in Escape From New York what did Snake Plissken do to save the President and bust out over the bridge, past all those landmines? Rob a gun store? Hack into the internet?

No - he went... TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY!!

This #LibrariesWeek be like Snake. Image

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More from @PulpLibrarian

7 Oct
Today in pulp... I look back at Raleigh bikes: the most exciting bikes on the planet! #ThursdayMotivation #cycling ImageImageImageImage
Raleigh was the all steel bike that defined a generation of cyclists: for many it was their first introduction to the joys - and perils - of cycling! ImageImage
The brand was named after Sir Walter Raleigh - inventor of the cigarette. And it was built in Nottingham - home of the cigarette. So obviously everyone who rode one smoked... Image
Read 20 tweets
6 Oct
Happy #NationalBadgerDay everybody! And in pulp that can mean only one thing... Badger Books!

It's a unique post-war British publisher with an amazing story. Let's take a look at it! #TuesdayThoughts Image
John Spencer and Co was founded in London in 1946 by Samuel Assael and specialised in publishing original fiction, normally written to order by freelance writers using house aliases. Like many pulp publishers they paid a flat rate for copy – ten shillings per 1,000 words. Image
Initially Spencer focussed on story magazines in digest and pocketbook form: Tales of Tomorrow, Out Of This World and Supernatural Stories focussed on fantasy and sci-fi short stories. But the digest market was beginning to decline as the post-war paperback market began to boom. ImageImage
Read 22 tweets
5 Oct
Today in pulp... I get serious about the history of word processing!

Really, really serious. Moustache level 4 serious. Serious... #amwritingfiction
Writing even the simplest document is complex: composing, editing, spell-checking, formatting, version control, page numbering, printing, archiving...

Automating even part of the process should lead to a productivity boom, shouldn't it?
So in 1964 IBM made a huge stride in this automation with the MT/ST system, combining a 'golfball' typewriter with a magnetic tape drive to create the first reusable storage medium for typed information. No more carbon copies: letters were now electronic!
Read 18 tweets
4 Oct
Today in pulp... Record Mirror! All the glamour of pop and rock in one handy digest! Image
A League of their own: Record Mirror, 23 June 1984. Image
Clout in colour*! Record Mirror, July 1978.

(*Accept no Substitute...) Image
Read 15 tweets
3 Oct
Time once again for my occasional series "Women with great hair fleeing gothic houses!"

And today all our ladies are fleeing 1972...
When fleeing a gothic castle be sure to colour co-ordinate!

The Fortune Hunters, by Joan Aiken. Pocket Books, 1972.
No, you're meant to flee, not go back!

The Return, by Daoma Winston. Avon Books, 1972.
Read 13 tweets
3 Oct
Today in pulp... what exactly IS pulp? What does this word mean and is it important?

Let's try and find out... #SaturdayThoughts
'Pulp' is a term for a type of basic paper stock, made from wood chips or plant fibres. By the 1890s mass production, improved distribution methods and advances in printing combined to make it a viable stock for cheap magazines, amongst other things.
And in the 1890s cheap story magazines, printed on pulp paper, began to appear. Low prices and widespread distribution meant pulp magazines could be a viable business, even if margins were tight.
Read 17 tweets

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