Book excerpt: Pulp fiction' s lurid adventures were vividly reflected on the magazines' eye-catching covers. Hard-boiled dames, bizarre monsters, dicks and ' tecs, sinister villains, and muscled warriors all appeared each month to tempt readers out of their hard-earned dimes. This gorgeous full-color compilation features hundreds of the genre' s most thrilling covers and includes an index. Taken collectively, they provide a dazzling panorama of some 60 years of illustration and social commentary.