Popular Culture Collections
These collections contain early science fiction and adventure/mystery serials, comic books, fanzines and television scripts. Separate databases of the comic book holdings and science fiction serials are available for browsing. An author/title index of approximately 2,500 records offers access to the adventure/mystery fiction.Coslet Collection
Of special interest is the Walter Coslet collection of amateur science fiction magazines (fanzines) collected
over the thirty-five years from 1937-1972. The magazines and amateur press mailings contained in the collection represent
what was widely held to be the largest and most complete collection of its type in the United States. The most important parts
of the collection are the long runs of the Fantasy Amateur Press Association (FAPA) mailings,Spectator Amateur Press Society,
Vanguard Amateur Press Association and sets of fanzines issued prior to World War II. Writers who would later become prominent in the field active in the amateur press
include Ray Bradbury, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Frederik Pohl among others. Among the pre-1940 magazines are a nearly complete set
of the publication of R. H. Barlow's Dragonfly Press; a complete set of the The Time Traveler and three of the five issues of
The Planet, the first amateur magazine known to have been published. Of the many sets of fanzines from the late '30's and early '40's
almost all sets are complete. There are over 15,000 fanzines in the collection.
At present, the individual issues of fanzines are searchable online and mailings of the FAPA, VAPA, and SAPS will be added.
A printed finding aid of the entire collection is available in the department.
- Amateur Press Publications: Fantasy & Science Fiction
Coverage: c.1930-1975. Search for individual issues of science fiction and fantasy fanzines held in Special Collections. Search by keyword or browse by title.
Alternative Press Collection
UMBC holds the back issues of the titles collected by the Alternative Press Center from its beginning to 1999. The Alternative Press Center (APC) is a non-profit collective dedicated to providing access to and increasing public awareness of the alternative press. Founded in 1969, it remains one of the oldest self-sustaining alternative media institutions in the United States. For more than a quarter of a century, the Alternative Press Index has been recognized as a leading guide to the alternative press in the United States and around the world. The API (Alternative Press Index) is available online (1991-) and in print (1969-) and titles are catalogued and appear in the catalogusmai with the heading Special Collections - Alternative Press.The Radical Literature Collection at UMBC is a collection of 19th and 20th century books, pamphlets, handbills, and other publications of political parties of the left and right. The database can be browsed and/or searched by author, keyword in title or subject.
- Alternative Press Index [API]
RESTRICTED Coverage: 1991 - present. Indexes roughly 380 alternative, radical, and left publications, which report and analyze the practices and theories of cultural, economic, political, and social change.
- Radical Literature Collection at UMBC
Coverage: Late 19th - mid 20th cen. The Radical Literature Collection includes books, pamphlets, and other publications on and by Communist, Socialist, Labor and other left- and right-of-center political organizations and individuals.
Comic Books
The comic book holdings in Special Collections include early issues from the Golden Age of Comics, underground comics from the 1960's and issues of popular comics from other countries.
- Comic Books Index - UMBC Holdings
Coverage: 1930-1990. An index to the comic book holdings in Special Collections. Includes some 6,500 issues from the 1930's to the 1990's. The index is in three sections, mainstream comics in "Main", "Underground" comics, and Miscellaneous.
Pulps: Science Fiction, Adventure, Mystery & Detective Fiction
UMBC's holdings of popular fiction serials includes titles from the late 19th century to current subscriptions. Originally printed
on cheap paper, the "pulps" provided both new and established authors a venue for their work. The Science Fiction & Fantasy collection
includes substantial holdings of famous titles from the genre: Amazing/Analog, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Weird Tales among others and more ephemeral tiles
like Comet, Rocket Stories and Satellite Science Fiction.- Pulps: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Coverage: 1930s - present. Holdings of science fiction and fantasy "pulp" serials held in Special Collections. Includes currently received publications.
The Adventure and Mystery/Detective holdings include such titles as Adventure, Detective Tales, G-Men Detective and
titles from the earlier Western tradition: Deadwood Dick, Buffalo Bill and Beadle's Dime Library. An online author/title
index of some 2,500 stories is available and will grow as more of the collection is processed.
- Pulps: Adventure, Mystery and Detective Fiction
Coverage: c.1930-1950. A title index to the holdings of adventure/mystery pulps in Special Collections. Browse by title or search for a specific story title or author. The index includes approx. 2,500 story titles/authors with new records to be added periodically.