black mask magazine

July 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

July 1936

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Free Ride to Rio”, ‘Chuck Thompson with Kathleen Carnahan’, 5^th of 7 CT stories, 10^th of 21 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Trouble for Two”, 3^rd of 4 Baron stories, 20^th of 31 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Nothing Personal”, 3rd of 14 with ‘Ken O’Hara, fighting reporter on Los Angeles Tribune’, 3rd of 27 stories in BM

~ Eric Taylor, “The Calloused Hand”, ‘Hastings (‘Hasty’) Sparks, a dick with the World Detective Agency’, last of 7 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Too Much Action”, ‘last of 4 stories starring 1^st-person narrator Mike O’Dell, ex-wrestler, now bodyguard’, 19th of 50 appearances in BM

better image than previously posted

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September 1935 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

September 1935

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Death Goes Free”, ‘G-man Chuck Thompson’, 2^nd of 7 CT stories, 7^th of 21 stories in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Chinaman’s Chance”, Johnny Gay, Hollywood reporter, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 14th of 17 stories in BM

~ James Duncan, “Runaround Murder”, last of 3 with Ivor Small – investigations, “He was fat without being fat enough to gain a livelihood as a professional fat man”, 3rd of 10 stories in BM

~ Big announcement that Erle Stanley Gardner & Ed Jenkins return in the next issue

~ Sinclair Gluck, “Double for Danger”, ‘Ted Murray, reporter in Hollywood, 1^st-person narrator’, only appearance in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Ticketed for Death”, ‘13th (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),14th of 26 stories in BM

better image than previously posted

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January 1936 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

January 1936

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “G-man Chuck Thompson”, 3^rd of 7 CT stories, 8^th of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Numbers with Lead”, 13th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 17th of 43 stories in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Death Song”, ‘Pat Nolan, film studio trouble-shooter’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 15^th of 17 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “Guns at Cyrano’s”, Ted Malvern, included in the collection The Simple Art of Murder (1950), then Pickup on Noon Street, 7^th of 11 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Fan Dance”, 33rd of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.4 (Altus, 2013), 62 of 67 stories in BM

better image than previously posted

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December 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

December 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Murder on the Side”, ‘unemployed reporter, 1^st-person narrator’, 12^th of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Whipsawed”, 17th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 23rd of 43 stories in BM

~ James Francis Bonnell, “Address Unknown”, short-short, only appearance in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Dutch Treat”, ‘emeralds’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), last of 17 stories in BM

~ Lester Dent, “Angelfish”, 2^nd Oscar Sale story, last story in BM, reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), and The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977), last of 2 stories in BM. Reprinted in Luck: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Oscar Sail (Steeger Books, 2021).

~ James Duncan, “Thoroughbred”, ‘Jerry Breton 1^st-grade dick, & Florida Racing Commission’, 5^th of 10 stories in BM

~ E.G. Morris, “Panic”, ‘petty crook’s panic’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “The Irish Have It”, ‘2nd (of 14) in Pat McCarthy series, with Marge Chalmers often his “sidekick”; he is ex-NYC cop, ex-agency man (Chicago & St. Louis) who dislikes cops’, 23rd of 50 appearances in BM

better image than previously posted

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[image updated 6/2/24]

1939 Knopf hardcover – cover art by Hawkins

First Edition. Hawkins dustjacket art. Rare hard-boiled mystery by this author who died young in 1945.

first novel with private eye Cellini Smith

there had been seven Smith short stories published in Black Mask Magazine by the time of the author’s death.

September 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

September 1936

cover art by John Drew

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Men of the FBI”, 6^th of 7 with LA FBI agent Chuck Thompson, 11^th of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “There’s No Excuses for Murder”, 15th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, ‘LaBrea Tar Pits figure into the story’, 21st of 43 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “The Curtain”, PI Carmody #3 of 4, reprinted in the anthology Killer in the Rain, 1963 Hamish Hamilton UK hardcover, first book appearance, 10^th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Too Many Women”, 18^th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 21st of 31 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Murder Maze”, ‘17th (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’, ‘Tracy meets a Coney Island “Hindu”, reprinted in Murder Maze: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.2 (Steeger 2022), 18th of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

Oil on canvas, 25 x 18 inches (63.5 x 45.7 cm)
Signed lower right

November 1942 issue

cover art by Rafael De Soto

~ Dale Clark, “Now I Slay Me – ”, 12th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 14^th of 32 stories in BM

~ Norbert Davis, “Beat Me Daddy”, 2nd of 3 with Hollywood piano man John Collins, 12^th of 13 stories in BM

~ Alan Farley [pseudonym of Mrs. W. Lee Herrington], “How Big Is the Bucket?”, ‘her 1st pub. Story; see p. 8 for brief biographical note’, and 1^st of 2 in BM

~ Robert Reeves, “A Taste for Murder”, 7th of 10 with PI Cellini Smith, 9th of 12 appearances in BM

~ Curt Siodmak, “Donovan’s Brain”, last of 3 parts, serialization of the novel published in 1943, only 3 appearances in BM by the author and director

June 1949 UK issue ~ cover art by Peter Stevens

June 1949 UK

cover art by Peter Stevens

“British edition of the hardboiled detective pulp magazine Black Mask. This issue is a partial reprint of the January 1949 American issue, leaving out the short story “Extra Alibi” by D. L. Champion and the article “Bullets, Ballistics And Bloodshed” by J. E. B. Cole.”

January 1930 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

January 1930

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Double or Quit”, 31th of 73 with Ed Jenkins, ‘last episode in his fight with Ramsey: Arthur Hemington also around’, 48th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon”, part last of 5 serialized parts before hardcover publication (1931), 39^th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “The Little Black Book”, 4th of 14 Frost stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, 5^th of 17 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Tough Treatment”, 8th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, ‘but not in Richmond City’, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.1 (Altus, 2013), 20 of 67 stories in BM

~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “A Chance Shot”, ‘Western mystery’, 4th of 8 with Red Saunders, 8th of 12 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Red Smoke”, ‘Mal Ourney; part 2 (of 5), ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, published in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 36^th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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March 1935 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

March 1935

cover art by Fred Craft

~ Jack Bertin, “Rider in the Night”, last of 5 with Chip Huard, last of 6 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Earned Reward”, 10th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 10^th of 31 stories in BM

~ James Duncan, “Crook Bait”, 2^nd of 3 with ‘fat man’/investigator Ivor Small

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Ghost of a Chance”, last of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 58 of 67 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Death By Arrangement”, “Max Ward, ‘the famous little Broadway ticket broker’, erroneously titled ‘Death by Appointment’ on table of contents”, only non-Jerry Tracy story, 10th of 26 stories in BM