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20th Century Paperbacks from the Wade Hall Collection

Cover of The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction, Fifth Series, edited by Anthony Boucher, published by Ace Books, 1956. The cover features a color illustration of a futuristic helmet and a spaceship with missiles being loaded. 50 cents. Cover of Mosquitos by William Faulkner, published by Dell [1927?]. 25 cents.

In 2018 Special Collections received an extensive collection of more than 1,600 20 ^th century paperbacks from the estate of Dr. Wade Hall, an Alabama native as well as an educator, author, and avid collector of Americana. These books are excellent examples of paperback novel production, illustration, and popular entertainment during the modernist and postmodernist eras.

An exhibit of volumes from the collection is currently on display in Special Collections & Archives. Graduate Assistant Britt Henry selected and arranged works dating from the 1910s to 1950s that highlight the exciting artwork and fiction that came to be representative of "pulp" novels and revolutionized the publishing industry.

Science fiction novels the exhibit.

Questions? Contact us at archives@auburn.edu or 334-844-1732.

Last updated: 04/01/2021