cover art by John Fleming Gould
better image than previously posted
Raymond Chandler, “Bay City Blues” (John Dalmas)
Frederick C. Davis, “Double Deadline” (Keyhole Kerry)
John Lawrence, “Witness! Witness!” (Marquis of Broadway)
Baynard Kendrick, “Murder in A-3”, (Cliff Chandler)
Milton Lowe, “Too Smart to Live”
[cover updated 8/11/26]
cover art by John Fleming Gould
better image than previously posted
T.T. Flynn, “The Devil’s Derby” (Mr. Maddox)
Raymond Chandler, “Pearls are a Nuisance”
Fred MacIsaac, “Murder at the Beauty Show” (Rambler Murphy)
John Lawrence, “Old Wives’ Tale” (Marquis of Broadway)
Dale Clark, “Mercy Killing”
with a simple listing of his name on the cover, along with those of his colleagues, the editors could not have been aware that they were publishing one of Raymond Chandler’s masterpieces. The Big Sleep had been published just two months before, on February 6.
cover art by Malvin Singer?
Leslie T. White, “Corpse Crazy” (Duke Martindel)
Raymond Chandler, “Mandarin’s Jade” (John Dalmas)
John K. Butler, “The Pied Piper of Frisco” (Rex Lonergan)
Hugh B. Cave, “Twenty After Murder” (Jitters Johnson)
Jan Dana, “Dead Failure”
better image than previously posted
1948 Dutton hardcover, this the later 1949 Bantam reissue
cover art by Robert Stanley
better image than previously posted
his second novel
2nd in his Edgar-winning series with amateur sleuths Ed and Am Hunter
cover art repurposed for 1952 Presses de la cité edition
Recueil de 3 nouvelles : La rousse rafle tout (“Finger Man”) – La porte de bronze (“The Bronze Door”) (nouvelle fantastique)- Un crime fait de chic (“Smart-Aleck Kill”) – Complété par l’essai “Le crime est un art simple”(“The Simple Art of Murder”)
July 1934 issue
cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer
better image than previously posted
~ W.T. Ballard, “Whatta Guy”, 7th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, reprinted in That’s Hollywood: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Bill Lennox, Vol.1 (2023 Steeger Books), 7th of 43 stories in BM
~ Raymond Chandler, “Smart-Aleck Kill”, 2nd Mallory, first book appearance in the collection The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin hardcover, 1950), first paperback appearance Pickup on Noon Street (Pocket, 1/52), various paperback editions, 2nd of 11 stories in BM
~ George Harmon Coxe, “Hot Delivery”, 5th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 5th of 31 stories in BM
~ Eugene Cunningham, “If Murder Can Be Funny”, 3rd of 5 with undercover Texas Ranger Cleve Corby, 9th of 14 stories in BM
~ John Graham, “Murder Crate”, ‘ambulance crew; NYC setting’, 1st of 2 stories in BM
~ Raymond Jae Moffatt, “Death in the Dark”, ‘Patrolman tries to avenge murdered father’, 1st of 2 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
cover art by Fred Craft
~ Raymond Chandler, “Killer in the Rain”, unnamed LA PI, 1st person, first book appearance in the anthology Killer in the Rain (Hammish Hamilton, UK hardcover, 3/26/64, US edition by Houghton Mifflin, 1964), various paperback editions, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 4th of 11 stories in BM [Chandler would “cannibalize” this story for The Big Sleep – note the totem with the camera lens.]
~ George Harmon Coxe, “Murder Picture”, 7th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 7th of 31 stories in BM
~ George Alden Edson, “Hot Lead”, author’s only appearance in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Winged Lead”, ‘Bald Pete’, character’s only appearance in BM, 84th of 99 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
January 1937 issue
cover art by Wilber Thomas
better image than previously posted
~ Dwight V. Babcock, “State Narcotic Dick”, ‘Bromley and muggles (marijuana)’, 13th of 21 stories in BM
~ J.M. Bell, “The Blinking Eye”, short-short, 2nd of 2 stories in BM
~ Max Brand, “Bulldog”, 1st of 2 stories in BM
~ Raymond Chandler, “Try the Girl”, 4th and last Carmady story, first reprint and first book appearance Killer in the Rain (Hammish Hamilton, 3/26/64), last of 11 stories in BM
~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Little Guy”, ‘18th (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, reprinted in Murder Maze: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.2 (Steeger 2022), 19th of 26 stories in BM
~ Roger Torrey, “Murder Frame”, ‘Cassidy, cop, is framed’, 24th of 50 appearances in BM
~ Cornell Woolrich, “Shooting Going On”, ‘Hollywood murder’, 1st of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
1958 Hamish Hamilton, true 1st edition
1958 Houghton Mifflin hardcover
1959 Brazilian edition in Portuguese
1960 Cardinal reissue – cover art by William Rose
better image than previously posted
1961 Australian edition from Horwitz – cover art by Theo Batten
1965 British edition – cover design by Alan Spain
1968 Pyramid reissue – cover art by Joseph Lombardero
1975 Penguin edition – cover design by James Tormey
1977 Ballantine reissue, 1st print (owner’s copy) – cover art by Richard Waldrep
later 1977 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Richard Waldrep
1979 Pan/Macmillan reissue – cover photo by Peter Williams
late 8os UK Penguin reissue
1999 Scandinavian edition (unsure of country)
2004 French graphic novel edition
[updated 3/8/26]
1953 Hammish Hamilton UK hardcover, the true first edition of this novel
1954 Houghton Mifflin hardcover, first US edition – (owner’s copy)
cover illustration by Lorraine
final Marlowe novel, an American classic and winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel
1954 Hammish Hamilton book club edition
August 1955 Pocket reissue, 2nd printing – (owner’s copy)
cover art by Tom Dunn
1964 Pocket reissue – cover art by Harry Bennett
1971 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Richard Waldrep
1971 Penguin UK reissue – cover design by James Tormey
1972 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Tom Adams (owner’s copy)
1973 Ballantine movie tie-in reissue (owner’s copy)
1979 Pan/Macmillan reissue – cover photo by Richard Williams
1988 UK Vintage/Black Lizard reissue
1988 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue
1988 Vintage/Black Lizard reissue
1949 Hamish Hamilton UK hardcover, the true first by three months – cover art by C.W. Bacon
1949 Houghton Mifflin hc, 1st edition – cover art by Boris Artzybasheff (owner’s copy)
1949 Pocket reissue – cover art by James Neil Boyle
1950 Pocket reissue – cover art by William Shoyer (owner’s copy)
1957 Pocket reissue – cover art by Charles Binger
1971 Ballantine reissue – cover art by Tom Adams (owner’s copy)
1976 Ballantine reissue, 3rd print – cover art by Richard Waldrep (owner’s copy)
1979 Pan/Macmillan reissue – cover photo by Colin Thomas
1988 Vintage/ Black Lizard reissue
