Thomas Thursday (1894–1974) was a lesser-known pulp writer who had one of the longest careers writing for the pulp magazines. His first published short story, "A Stroke of Genius," appeared in '' Top-Notch'' (April 1, 1918). He submitted the story to them after finding an old issue in the subway. He used the penname "Thursday" after glancing at a calendar. His real name remains a mystery. He was still appearing in the pulps in the late 1950s, after which the magazine format all but disappeared from the newsstands. Thursday was primarily a humorist, one of the few in the pulps. He appeared regularly in '' Top-Notch'' through the mid-1920s, then transitioned to ''

Argosy Argosy or The Argosy may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Argosy'' (magazine), an American pulp magazine 1882–1978 and revived 1990–1994, 2004–2006 * ''Argosy'' (UK magazine), three British magazines * Argosy spaceship in ''Escap ...

''. Many of his story titles featured wordplay, e.g. "Illiterature" ('' People's Favorite Magazine'', April 10, 1919), "Young Mild West" (''

Argosy All-Story Weekly ''Argosy'', later titled ''The Argosy'', ''Argosy All-Story Weekly'' and ''The New Golden Argosy'', was an American pulp magazine from 1882 through 1978, published by Frank Munsey until its sale to Popular Publications in 1942. It is the first ...

'', February 28, 1925), "Of Lice and Men" ('' The Phantom Detective'', September 1940). Many of his stories centered on circuses and sideshows. Thursday had worked for numerous circuses in his youth. Swindles and scams were a frequent theme. '' People's Favorite Magazine'' During the early Depression, his career seemed to peter out for a few years. Likely, with the increasing specialization in pulp magazines, the market for general humor became too narrow. Thursday resurfaced in the mid-1930s, adding a number of other specialties to his repertoire. He wrote humorous sports stories for the growing sports pulp field; straightforward detective stories; and articles for the true-crime magazine market. The true-crime stories all concerned Miami, Florida cases, where he had relocated (from New York) in the late-1920s. He was never one of the prolific fictioneers, so it's likely he wrote on the side. Throughout his career, Thursday frequently published articles in writers' magazines like ''

Writer's Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 under ...

'' and ''

The Author & Journalist ''The Author & Journalist'' (A&J) was a monthly writers' magazine started by editor and author Willard E. Hawkins (1887-1970) and published in Denver, Colorado. It lasted until the issue of March-April 1969, by which time it was published by Lar ...

''. Though always amusing, these how-to articles took on an increasingly bitter tone, as Thursday became more and more disgusted with the hardships of the writing business, especially the collapse of word-rates after the onset of the Depression. He reserved his most severe wrath for the pulp magazine editors, who he dubbed "idiotors." "45 Years a Freelancer," by Thomas Thursday, ''

'', August 1956. Thursday published true-crime article into the late 1960s. He was a columnist for the ''Miami Police News'' until it folded in late 1967.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thursday, Thomas 1894 births 1974 deaths Pulp fiction writers 20th-century American male writers