February 1946 issue ~ cover art by Gloria Stoll

February 1946 issue

cover art by Gloria Stoll

better image than previously posted

~ Thomson Burtis, “Deadline for Death”, ex-USA intelligence officer, now police Lt. Greg Sullivan, last of 6 appearances in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Murder Lode”, 24th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 27th of 32 stories in BM

~ Julius Long, “Flowers for Flanagan”, 10th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 15th of 23 stories in BM

~ Roland Phillips, “The Sentinel of Green Cove”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ William Rough, “Shoot If You Must”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; 2nd of 5 capers’ in BM

~ Ted Stratton, “Accounts Deceivable”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

August 1932 issue ~ cover art by William Reusswig

August 1932 issue

cover art by William Reusswig

better image than previously posted

Westmoreland Gray, “The Beast in Black (Colin Windsor)

Carroll John Daly, “Murder at Midnight” (Vee Brown)

Erle Stanley Gardner, “Forged Kill” (Dick Bentley)

Frederick Nebel, “Rogues’ Ransom” (Cardigan)

Oscar Schisgall, “The Hooded Terror” (Kent Carmiody)

Photo and profile of Gardner appeared on pgs. 123-24

Mischief

First Edition of MISCHIEF (1950), by Charlotte Armstrong.  Together with a typed letter from Armstrong to a collector, dated September 18th, 1957, the year she won the Edgar Award for ‘A Dram of Poison.’  8.5 X 11, numbering 321 words and showing some hand corrections throughout.  A charming and humorous letter, detailing everything from winning the Edgar Award, her reading habits, and Sherlock Holmes (“I read them when I was ten or eleven and it warped my life”).  Signed by Armstrong at the bottom, and a rare signature in our experience.  To date, this is the only signed material by Armstrong we have seen or handled.  Basis for the 1952 film noir ‘Don’t Bother To Knock’ directed by Roy Ward Baker, starring Richard Widmark, Anne Bancroft in her film debut, and Marylin Monroe in her first leading dramatic role.  An attractive copy of a scarce title, and in the author’s own words, “probably the best book I’ve written.”  

Pocket Books 805 reissue, 1951, cover by Robert Hilbert

March 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by A. Rose

March 15, 1923 issue

cover art by A. Rose

~ John Baer, “The Three Witnesses”, ‘”Compete Mystery Novelette”; set in Pittsburgh suburb’, 23th of 24 stories in BM

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “The Trail of the Scarlet Fox”, part 5 of 6 parts with various subtitles, 5th of 13 appearances in BM

~ Charles Phelps Cushing, “A Tassel of Black Yarn”, ‘Mammie Skaggs, policewoman’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Meredith Davis, “The Lower Law”, ‘innocent victim burned at the stake by a lynch mob’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “The Tombstone Babette”, ‘A Cemetery Tale’, 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “Sinister Images”, ‘Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman (‘the young Central Office Man’) with Police Chief Shannon‘, last of 4 parts, 6th of 20 appearances in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “A Shock for the Countess”, ‘Countess d’Yls steals some pearls; set in Paris’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 16th of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Big Surprise”, ‘Capt. Fay, German spy in USA during WWI’, 4th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 4th of 49 total articles in BM

~ Willett Stockard, “A Dead Girl in the Moonlight”, ‘rural setting; dead girl avenged by badman’, 1st of 5 stories in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “Playing Both Ends”, 6th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, fiction, 6th of 13th appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

October 1948 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

October 1948 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

better image than previously posted

Peter Paige, “Cash Wale’s Lethal Lulu” (Cash Wale)

W. Lee Herrington, “Who’ll Carry My Coffin?”

John D. MacDonald, “My Husband Dies Slowly”

Roy Sparkia, “Satan’s Scapegoat”

Robert Canton, “No Bones About It” (P.I. Kent)

Stanley C. Vickers, “Pushover for Purgatory”

Bruce Cassiday, “Doubled in Danger”