About the Collection

The UB Libraries’ George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection includes over 30,000 pulp fiction books and magazines. A selection of cover art images, representing more than 500 crime fiction and science fiction volumes found in the Kelley Collection, is featured in UBdigit. Colorful and dynamic, the cover art highlights a variety of artistic themes and imagery, reflecting the social and cultural trends of the period in which these covers were created.

Pulp fiction was a dominant mode of mass media throughout the mid-20th century, and the format of the paperback novel, along with the graphic design of its cover art, continues to influence cultural objects and media today.  Cover images are searchable by author, title, artist, publisher, dominant colors, and more. Expansive content analysis facilitates searching on character types, clothing, objects, weapons, scenery and other figures depicted on the covers.

To learn more about the collection, visit The George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection website. The Gumshoes, Sleuths and Snoopers database provides additional information related to the content of selected Kelley Collection crime fiction titles.