50 Pulp Cover Treatments of Classic Works of Literature

Last month at CrimeReads, Rebecca Romney looked at a few classic detective novels that had, at one time or another, gotten makeovers as sexy pulps—because as we all know, the easiest way to sell something is to make it look salacious (whether it actually is or not). But it isn’t only great detective novels that have gotten the pulp treatment. Classic works of literary fiction have existed as pulps from the very beginning of pulp—the new paperback publishers of the 1940s and 50s printed them right along with classic crime and some genuinely lowbrow (and sometimes quite lurid) new novels, often commissioning the very same artists to design their covers. Below, I dug up a few of these pulpified classics (not including the Pulp! The Classics imprint)—many of which I found through the excellent resource Pulp Covers. Some are true pulp covers—with overtly sexy women and tantalizing movie-esque taglines—while others are just amusingly lowbrow mass market treatments of highbrow novels. Either way, they’re even better than you’d expect.

Signet Book #840, 1951. Cover art by Mitchell Hooks

Pocket Books Cardinal Edition, 1952

Bantam, 1953. Cover by Charles Binger.

Signet #794, 1951. Cover art by James Avati.

Berkley Books G-119

Bantam Books #8, 1945

Bantam Giant A1091

1953. Cover by James Avati.

Bantam Book #717, 1949. Cover art by Ken Riley

Signet Giant, 1954

Signet Book #834, 1952. Cover art by Stanley Meltzoff.

WDL Books

Ivy Books

Bantam Book #315, 1949

Cover by James Avati.

Berkley Books G-30

Ace Double, 1956

New English Library, 1969

Signet Book #632

Pyramid Royal #16, 1958. Cover art by Harry Schaare.

Lion Books

Pan Books M39

Panther Books

Signet Books #937, 1952. Cover Artist: James Avati

Signet Book #1001, 1951. Cover by James Avanti.

Bantam F2879, 1965.

Pocket Books, Cardinal Edition, 1955. Cover art by Tom Dunn.

Bantam Books, 1949. Cover by C.C. Beall.

Pocket Books, Cardinal Edition; Cover art by John Alan Maxwell.

Popular Library, 1955

Pocket Books #123, 1941. Cover Artist: Sol Immerman; movie tie-in with Spencer Tracy

Signet D1628, 1959.

Paperback Library, 1965

Ballantine, 1965. Cover art by Mozelle Thompson.

Lion Books #143, 1953.

Pan Books, 1963.

Pan Books, 1968.

Dell Books #681, 1953. Cover Artist: Griffith Foxley

Signet Books, 1949

Four Square Books, 1958. Tie-in edition for film starring Yul Brynner.

Signet Book #733, 1949. Cover art by James Avati.

Signet Books 671, 1948 (3rd printing, 1951). Cover art by Robert Jonas.

Ballantine Books, 1988.

Signet Books #1087, 1953. Cover by James Avati.

Signet Books, 1952

Signet Books, 1949

Signet Book #610, 1950. Cover art by Bill Gregg.

Avon Books, 1953.

Signet, 1960.

Signet Giant S798, 1954. Cover Artist: Alan Harmon