Mississippi Pulp: Paperback Originals Exhibit

News item published on: 2016-04-22 15:22:14

From the 1930s to the 1950s, hard-boiled fiction from writers such as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler exemplified the unsentimental masculine fiction of the time. The straightforward, plain-speaking characters brought to life suspenseful stories of tough men and even tougher women. Mississippi authors figured prominently in this crime genre, but they also contributed greatly to additional paperback subjects including science fiction and erotica.

Mississippi Pulp: Paperback Originals from Southern Miss’ Special Collections features examples of novels by Mississippi authors produced for the paperback market. This exhibit, curated by Andrew Rhodes and Jennifer Brannock, includes midcentury publications by Elliott Chaze, John Faulkner, George H. Smith, Con Sellers, Carl Corley (known for his gay pulp novels) and others.

Mississippi Pulp: Paperback Originals from Southern Miss’ Special Collections will be on display on the third floor of McCain Library and Archives until August 21, 2016. With questions about the exhibit or the collections, contact Jennifer Brannock at  or 601.266.4347.