Startling Stories, vol. 16, no. 3

The story titles and bylines in this issue of Startling Stories from January 1948 use the bold weight of Ultra-Modern, a typeface designed by Douglas C. McMurtrie and issued by Ludlow in 1928.

The pages depict the beginnings of The Blue Flamingo, a novel by Hannes Bok, and Ultra Evolution by Polton Cross (a pseudonym by John Russell Fearn). The deck is set in Memphis Italic and the text typeface appears to be Excelsior or similar, with drop caps from Ultra Bodoni. Captions use Metroblack with its original forms.

Startling Stories was a pulp science fiction magazine that ran from 1939 to 1955. It was published by Ned Pines’ Better Publications, which was known as Beacon Magazines until 1937 and as Standard Magazines from 1943. While the publisher was based in Chicago, the editorial offices were located in New York at the time.