June 1938 issue

June 1938 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

~ Leslie Charteris, “The Invisible Millionaire”, 1st of 2 Saint stories in BM, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007)

~ Joseph Csida, “Strike Three”, ‘baseball player killed in the field’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “Hollywood Party”, last of 2 stories with Tony Key in Hollywood, 6th of 9 stories in BM

~ Baynard H(ardwick) Kendrick, “Venom”, 6th of 14 stories with Mikes Standish (Stan) Rice, ‘The Hungry’[?], all set in Florida

~ Lawrence Treat, “A Night’s Work”, 2nd of 5 stories in BM

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July 1931 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

July 1931 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Carroll John Daly, “’The Flame’ and Race Williams”, 40th of 53 with RW, part 2 of 3, ‘pub.as The Third Murderer (1931)’, 52nd of 71 appearances in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Blue Glass”, 5th of 6 parts in the ‘Rainbow Diamonds’ sequence that take Jo Gar from Manila to San Francisco, 14th of 24 Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Tommy Talk”, 35th of 73 Ed Jenkins, returns after the death of his wife Helen, out of hospital and in Chinatown with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy, 1st of 3 connected stories (9/1931 and 12/1931), 52nd of 99 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Death for a Dago”, 15th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.2 (Altus, 2013), 32 of 67 stories in BM

~ Bertrand W(illiam) Sinclair, “Ananias and the Sapphires”, ‘Western; Andy Nason’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Stewart Stirling, (possible pseud. of Stewart Sterling?), “Cold Blood”, 3rd of 8 stories with ‘Johnny Hi Gear, a.k.a. K-5, Undercover Agent’

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Seven Slayers x 5

1946 Chartered digest paperback original

better image than previously posted

1950 Avon paperback original, 1st printing, seven stories originally published in Black Mask Magazine

Black” (May 1932)

Red 71” (December 1932)

Parlor Trick” (July 1932)

One, Two, Three” (May 1933)

Murder in Blue” (June 1933) – “Murder Done in Blue” in the original magazine

Pigeon Blood” (November 1933)

Pineapple” (March 1936)

1987 Black Lizard reissue

cover art by Kirwin

1987 Blood & Guts hardcover reissue

cover art by Joe Servello

February 2012 Centipede hardcover

cover art by Ron Lesser

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September 1945 issue ~ cover art by Gloria Stoll

September 1945

cover art by Gloria Stoll

better image than previously posted

~ Dale Clark, “Heir in the Air”, 22nd of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna story, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 25th of 32 stories in BM

~ Brett Halliday (pseud. of David Dresser), “Dead Man’s Diary”, 2nd of 2 Mike Shayne stories in BM

~ Julius Long, “Over My Dead Body”, 7th of 17 stories with ’Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 12th of 23 stories in BM

~ Robert Reeves, “Alcoholics Calamitous”, last of 10 Cellini Smith appearances, last of 12 appearances in BM

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September 1932 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

September 1932 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

oil on board, 29.5 x 19.5 in.

better image than previously posted

~ Paul Cain, “The Dark”, ‘Kells & Granquist; part 5 of Fast One’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 7th of 17 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Black and White”, 46th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, 63th of 99 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “He Could Take It”, 9th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 41 of 67 stories in BM

~ William Rollins, Jr., “Triple-Cross”, 3rd of 4 stories with Percy (Buck) Warren, private eye, 16th of 23 stories in BM

~ Joseph T. Shaw, “Fugitive”, 2nd of 4 parts, ‘Jack Henderson, set in Far East, eg, Rangoon’, 7th of 9 works of fiction in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Blue Murder”, ‘Don Free, private dick; 3rd and last DF story’, title used for earlier story in July ’28 issue, 58th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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