The Spicy line of pulp magazines was launched in the mid-1930s by Harry Donenfeld’s Culture Publications, a company that specialized in pushing the boundaries of what pulps could get away with under the law. These titles included Spicy Detective Stories, Spicy Mystery Stories, Spicy Adventure Stories, and Spicy Western Stories. On the surface, they were part of the usual pulp genres—crime, horror, adventure, and westerns—but what set them apart was their heavy emphasis on risqué content.

The stories featured scantily clad women, salacious situations, and often a blend of sex and violence that shocked critics but attracted a steady audience. Covers were particularly notorious, usually depicting women in peril with lurid, suggestive artwork designed to make the magazines leap off the newsstand.

The Spicy magazines gained notoriety for skating just under the line of obscenity laws, becoming some of the most controversial pulps of their time. While they weren’t pornographic by modern standards, their mix of titillation and pulp thrills was provocative enough to draw the ire of moral reformers and eventually the U.S. Post Office, which cracked down on their distribution.

By the early 1940s, the titles were forced to tone down their content, dropping “Spicy” from their names and shifting toward tamer fare. Despite their decline, the Spicy line left an enduring mark on pulp history, remembered as both a daring publishing experiment and a key moment in the ongoing tug-of-war between popular entertainment and censorship in America.

Here’s a Top 6 list of standout tales from the “Spicy” lineup of pulp magazines—Spicy Adventure Stories, Spicy Detective Stories, Spicy Mystery Stories, and Spicy Western Stories:

1. “The Black Panther’s Cub” — Robert E. Howard, Spicy Adventure Stories, July 1936

A revision of a rejected historical yarn, this tale by the creator of Conan the Barbarian gave the magazine prestige among collectors. Howard’s muscular style and exotic setting elevated the usual “spicy” formula of danger and seduction.

2. “The Corpse Factory” — Robert Leslie Bellem, Spicy Detective Stories, March 1935

Bellem’s outrageous slang-filled prose defined the spicy detective subgenre. This lurid mystery showcased his flair for wisecracks, dames in distress, and grotesque crime, laying the groundwork for his later Dan Turner, Hollywood Detectivefame.

3. “Satan’s Lash” — Hugh B. Cave, Spicy Mystery Stories, October 1935

Cave, one of the best stylists in pulp, brought genuine atmosphere to this tale of occult menace and twisted villainy. It demonstrated how talented writers could raise the magazine’s content above mere shock value.

4. “The Sign of the Snake” — E. Hoffmann Price, Spicy Adventure Stories, March 1935

Price’s knowledge of Asian and Middle Eastern cultures gave authenticity to a tale otherwise steeped in pulp exoticism. It remains a standout for its blend of real-world detail and spicy sensationalism.

5. “Trigger Nymph” — Lew Merrill (pseudonym of Victor Rousseau), Spicy Western Stories, August 1937

Rousseau, an old pulp hand, applied the spicy formula to the frontier, delivering a story filled with shootouts, seduction, and fast pacing. It helped define how the western genre could be adapted to the “spicy” brand.

6. “The Crocodile God” — Hugh B. Cave, Spicy Adventure Stories, April 1938

Another Cave standout, this tale combined jungle peril with eerie atmosphere, proving that even in the most sensational markets, he could deliver first-rate pulp thrills.