The End of an Era.

Few periods in history are static, but the 1940s was particularly a period of transition for the United States, with its victory in World War II and its emergence from the conflict as a world economic and military superpower. Changes were also evident in American popular culture: radio enjoyed the last years of its heyday as the most successful broadcast medium before television claimed dominance, and one medium that had enjoyed extreme popularity since the 1920s, the pulp magazine, succumbed to the dual challenge of comic books for younger readers and paperback books for adults. In addition the magazines and radio often shared the same audience and even characters, such as the Shadow, but like radio the magazines lost potential readers to the exciting new medium of television.

The Heyday of the Pulps.

With roots...