Established in 1971 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Scriveners Pulp Press Limited was one of several ventures in alternative arts and literature of the early 1970s. In addition to fiction, poetry and drama titles, Scriveners' issued a twice-monthly literary magazine, Three-Cent Pulp, from 1972 to 1978. In 1981 Scriveners' initiated a subscription library service, the Arsenal Collaborative Library, to serve as a central distribution point for readers, writers and publishers. Following the sale of its typesetting and printing operations in 1982, the company changed its name to Arsenal Pulp Press. Although still a literary press, Arsenal gradually began to publish literary non-fiction titles, and it continued to maintain a tradition of commitment to publications about British Columbia. In the fall of 2001, Arsenal Pulp Press celebrated its 30th anniversary.
The management and editorial team during its first decade of operation included Stephen Osborne, William Gregory Enright, D.M. Fraser, Jon Furberg, and Charles Tidler. In 1982, following the sale of its typesetting and printing operations, Pulp changed its name to Arsenal Pulp Press. In 1988 Brian Lam joined Arsenal following a co-op placement at the Press while studying creative writing at the University of Victoria. Lam became president in 1992 and co-owner with Stephen Osborne, one of the original owners and now editor of the literary magazine Geist.