SUMMARY
Although pulp magazines existed in the late 1800s and early 1900s as dime novels and weekly and monthly story newspapers, Hugo Gernsback is generally credited with developing the idea of the science fiction pulp. He coined the word "Scientifiction" to describe the works of Wells and Verne, and created the magazine "Amazing Stories" to cultivate the sort of tales he wished to publish. Never particularly successful or profitable, "Amazing Stories" none the less spawned hundreds of imitators, some even produced by Gernsback himself.
Pulp writers came from all walks of life, but since a reputation as a pulp writer was not a "respectable" occupation, many used pen names and pseudonyms while simultaneously writing for the more desirable "slicks" ; magazines such as "Look" and "The Saturday Evening Post".
The greatest names in Science Fiction literature got their start in the pulp magazines: Issac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C. Clarke, and Robert Heinlein, among many, many others.
Many of the pulp short stories by these authors were later collected, or "fixed up" as  novels, such as Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" and Asimov's "I, Robot".

QUOTES

"A number of science fiction magazines followed Amazing Stories -- Wonder Stories, Planet Stories, Startling Stories, Captain Future and others. Most of them specialized in space opera and otherworldly romance in the Burroughs tradition. But one magazine, Astounding Stories, stood out from the competition. Astounding's editor, John W. Campbell, demanded high-quality fiction with believable science. Under his guidance, Astounding published much of the best science-fiction of this period, by many of its most esteemed authors (Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and others). It would define science fiction for the decades to come."
                                                                - Matt Stevens, The Pulp Page

"Amazing Stories is probably the most influential science fiction magazine ever created. The brainchild of Hugo Gernsback it was, in his own words...

"...an entirely new (kind of fiction magazine) - entirely different - something that was never done before in this country."

"Although the idea was innovative, the same cannot be said of the content. Most of the early stories were reprints of Poe, H.G. Wells and Jules Verne. Supporting these were Edgar Rice Burroughs, A. Merrit and A. Hyatt Verrill. Two years later, and the magazine now firmly established, other authors began to appear, and amongst these were Jack Williamson, Edmond Hamilton, Harl Vincent or Murray Leinster. E.E. "Doc" Smith's Skylark debuted in Amazing Stories. Sporting fabulous covers by Frank R. Paul, the sweeping title of the magazine would also prove to be a landmark, to be copied and adapted by almost every sf magazine that followed. "
                                                - Nuno Miranda, The Pulp Zone

MAIN TEXTS

"The Machine Stops" Forster
"The Mountains Of Madness" Lovecraft
"A Princess Of Mars" Burroughs

RELATED MATERIAL

"The Bloody Pulps" by Charles Beaumont (pdf)
Science Fiction And Fantasy Hall Of Fame (website)
A History Of Science Fiction: The Golden Age (website)

DISCUSSION/ESSAY TOPICS (Please post comments on the related thread on the discussion board)

1. Discuss Science Fiction's flowering during the golden age of pulp magazines. What about the era prompted some writers to adopt pen names?

2. Choose one novella or short story from the list below (They can usually be found in Science Fiction anthologies at your local library) to read and discuss/review:

"Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell
"Farewell To The Master" by Harry Bates
"The Nine Billion Names Of God" by Arthur C. Clarke
"The Last Question" by Isaac Asimov