Definition of pulp

The word "pulp" has its origin in the early 19th century when the first mass-market publications emerged. At that time, books were mostly made of handmade and expensive parchment or vellum, which made them a luxury only affordable for the wealthy. In the 1820s, experimentation with wood engraving led to the development of lithography, a printing process using a smooth, flat surface called a lithographic stone. The printing ink didn't stick to the smooth surface but would adhere only to the greasy surfaces like the ink drawing applied to the stone. The stone was carefully moistened, and the inked drawing would remain, and the non-inked portions would wash away, leaving behind a high-quality printed image. This printing process enabled large-scale production and reduced the cost of printing, making it possible to create periodicals and magazines for a much wider audience. These publications featured stories, illustrations, and articles that could be consumed quickly, with new issues released weekly or bi-weekly. However, there was a challenge with printing large quantities of cheap paper, as these papers tended to break down more quickly due to their low quality. To combat this issue, the publishers of pulp magazines started putting the paper through a process called "pulping." This process produced a pulp-like substance by mixing wood chips, water, and chemicals to create a slurry that was then poured into a mold and pressed into thin sheets of paper. The new pulp paper proved to be not only cheaper but also sturdier, and therefore, became the preferred option for mass-market publications. These publications, known as "pulp magazines," featured adventure, romance, and science fiction stories, the genre that gave birth to today's term "pulp fiction." Hence, the word "pulp" became a byword for popular, cheap fiction published in magazine format, and the process of pulping became a standard technique in the publishing industry.