Category: action fiction

December 1, 1923 issue ~ cover art by L.L. Balcom

December 1, 1923 issue

 cover art by L.L. Balcom

~ Eustace Hale Ball,“When 7539 Went Black”, ‘7539 is a convict’, 10th of 13 stories in BM

~ Henry W. Fisher, “Executioners I Have Met”, ‘3rdt of 6 ‘true’ articles with various subtitles’

~ Francis James, “The Sand Devil”, Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman with Police Chief Shannon, 1st of 4 parts, 10th of 20 appearances in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Bodies Pile Up”, Continental Op, 4th of 25, reprinted in The Black Mask Boys (1985, Morrow), reprinted in Nightmare Town as “House Dick” (Knopf, 1999), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), reprinted in Zigzags of Treachery: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, Vol. 1 (Steeger, 2023), 8th of 51 stories in BM

~ Fred McLaughlin, “The White Streak”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Harold Freeman Miners, “Oscar the Terrible”, 1st of 4 with ‘Topanga John, ancient desert rat’, 1st of 5 stories in BM

~ Herman Petersen, “One Dried Head”, last of 3 parts, South Seas, 13th of 20 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Vultures’ Trail”, 20th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series

~ Willett Stockard, “Punctual”, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Emmet Welsh, “The Slippery Eel”, ‘Billed as “A Complete Fast-Moving Novelette”; NYC police; oddly, in 15 Nov 1923 issue (p. 42) author is listed as Robert E. Welch’, sole appearance in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

June 1, 1923 series ~ cover art by L.L. Balcom

June 1, 1923 Special KKK issue

cover art by L.L. Balcom

better image than previously posted

~ Raymond J. Brown, “Phantom Bullets”, last of 5 parts, only works in BM

~ Richard Connell, “The Color of Honor”, KKK story, ‘see p. 127 for data on RC’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), only story in BM

~ Ray(mond King) Cummings,  “T. McGuirk – Klansman”, ‘3rd of 14 McGuirk stories, billed as “the quaintest character in the Underworld” & honest, more of less’, ‘alleged to be a ‘humorous tale’, 3rd of 15 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Knights of the Open Palm”, ‘Debut of Race Williams…see p. 127 for letter from CJD on story, 1st of 53 RW stories, reprinted in The Great American Detective (1978)’, in The Arbor House Treasury of Detective & Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps (1983), in Them That Lives By Their Guns: The Collected Hard-Boiled Stories of Race Williams, Vol. 1 (Altus Press, 2015), 5th of 71 appearances in BM [historically considered to be the first ever ‘hard-boiled’ story]

~ N. Bryllion Fagin, “Mrs. Frye Captures a Highwayman”, author’s sole story in BM

~ Henry Clay Foster, “The Klan As It Was”, article ‘Who started it and Why’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Robert Lee Heiser, “’Devil Dan’ Hewett”, KKK story, ‘see p.128 for Data of RLH & his stories’, numerous appearances but little fiction – 1st of 3 stories in BM

~ George Jean Nathan, “Remarks on the Klan”, ‘brief article on KKK, reprinted from “Smart Set”, March 1923’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Herman Petersen, “Call Out the Clan”, ‘KKK yarn’, 8th of 20 stories in BM

~ Harford Powel, Jr., “The Other Immortals”, ‘fantasy short-short featuring Leon F. Czolgosz, John Wilkes Booth & Judas’, 4th of 6 appearances in BM

~ Christopher Sandstone, “The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan”, ‘article; “the case for”’, writer’s sole appearance in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Ku Klux and Crime”, ‘the case against’, 8th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series

~ Herbert Elisha Stover, “The Guillotine”, ‘not a KKK piece; see p. 128 for letter from HES’, 1st of 3 pieces in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[This post is in no way supporting the evil and hate of white supremacy. At the time this magazine issue was published, the KKK was in resurgence. It was just as relevant an issue then as now. Plus, due to the Daly story, it’s important in American literature.]