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SMB Noir

For the Fans of Hardboiled, Pulp & Gumshoe Art

Back in 2013, our tumblr site was started and ran until 2018, when they decided it was too "adult" - too lurid, supposedly. We followed the exodus to newtumbl and four years of dedication vanished in June of 2023. That work was not only new posts but upgrades of hundreds of old tumblr posts as well. So far, there has been no way to rescue those posts, so this will be the third version of this project. And, I'll warn you in advance, I may slip in covers that are not crime or mystery but just because I like the artwork. Enjoy!

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Category: paperback

1960 Gold Medal paperback original – cover art by Charles Binger

1960 Gold Medal paperback original

cover art by Charles Binger

11th with Chester Drum, private eye

November 29, 2013

Posted on December 18, 2025November 24, 2025Categories espionage fiction, government agent, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags charles binger, cold war fiction, gold medal paperback, stephen marloweLeave a comment on 1960 Gold Medal paperback original – cover art by Charles Binger

Date with a Dead Man x 2

1960 Dell

cover art by Robert McGinnis

better image than previously posted

1967 Dell reissue

cover art by Robert McGinnis

Posted on December 18, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags brett halliday, dame, dell paperback, mike shayne, robert mcginnisLeave a comment on Date with a Dead Man x 2

1957 Signet reissue – cover art by Robert Maguire

Robert Maguire (American, 1921-2005)
The Flesh Was Cold paperback cover, 1957 Signet reissue
oil on Masonite, 24 x 16 inches (61.0 x 40.6 cm), not signed

Posted on December 17, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulpTags bruno fischer, lingerie, oil on masonite, robert maguire, signet paperbackLeave a comment on 1957 Signet reissue – cover art by Robert Maguire

1953 Dell reissue – cover art by Griffith Foxley

1948 Knopf hardcover

1953 Dell reissue

cover art by Griffith Foxley

better image than previously posted

Posted on December 16, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags dell paperback, george harmon coxe, griffith foxleyLeave a comment on 1953 Dell reissue – cover art by Griffith Foxley

1960 Zenith paperback reissue

pseudonym of Bill S. Ballinger, this is the only title for which he used this pen name

his middle name was Sanborn

1959 Dutton hardcover with the original title The Doom-Maker

1960 Zenith paperback with new title

better image than previously posted

Posted on December 16, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags b.x. sandborn, bill s. ballinger, zenith paperbackLeave a comment on 1960 Zenith paperback reissue

1962 Lancer paperback original – cover art by Ron Lesser

cover art by Ron Lesser

watercolor or gouache?

1962 Lancer paperback original

pen name of E. Howard Hunt

better image than previously posted

Posted on December 16, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, original art, paperback, pulpTags dame, e. howard hunt, lancer paperback, robert dietrich, ron lesserLeave a comment on 1962 Lancer paperback original – cover art by Ron Lesser

1958 Gold Medal paperback original

Gold Medal Books (June, 1958)

Pseudonym of Douglas Sanderson

December 01, 2013

Posted on December 16, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags douglas sanderson, gold medal paperback, malcolm sandersLeave a comment on 1958 Gold Medal paperback original

1961 Ace paperback original – cover art by Verne Tossey

1961 Ace paperback original

cover art by Verne Tossey

better image than previously posted

Posted on December 16, 2025November 24, 2025Categories crime fiction, finest kind, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags ace double paperback, dame, femme fatale, j.m. flynn, lurid, verne tossey, woman with a gunLeave a comment on 1961 Ace paperback original – cover art by Verne Tossey

1954 Dell reissue – cover art by Phil Marini


first published by Metheun in 1954 as Honey Seems Bitter

this Dell paperback is from 1954

cover art by Phil Marini

better image than previously posted

Posted on December 12, 2025November 23, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags benedict kiely, dell paperback, phil mariniLeave a comment on 1954 Dell reissue – cover art by Phil Marini

1950 Avon reissue – cover art by Ray Johnson

1950 Avon reissue

cover art by Ray Johnson

better image than previously posted

Posted on December 12, 2025November 23, 2025Categories crime fiction, Hardboiled, paperback, pulpTags avon paperback, dagger, dame, femme fatale, lawrence treat, ray johnsonLeave a comment on 1950 Avon reissue – cover art by Ray Johnson

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