black mask magazine – Page 17

July 1951 issue ~ cover art by Harry Barton

July 1951 issue

~ Francis K. Allan, “Model for Death”, ‘reprint, not originally BM’, 2^nd appearance in BM

~ Agatha Christie, “The Face of Helen”, reprint, not originally in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Once Around the Clock”, Flashgun Casey, reprinted from May ‘41, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977)

~ Robert C. Dennis, “Ride a Green Hearse”, last of 10 stories in BM, has the honor of being the last original story published in BM

~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “The Paper Doll”, last of 8 stories in BM [Hagemann does not note if this is original or a reprint]

~ Richard Sale, “Nail Down the Lid”, ‘reprint; not from BM’

LAST ISSUE OF THE ORIGINAL MAGAZINE

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

cover art by Norman Saunders

Oil on board, 20.75 x 13.75 in. (sight) – not signed

May 1950 issue

better image than previously posted

~ Rufe Bakai, “The Random Kee-Whango”, sole appearance in BM

~ John Bender, “The High Cost of Lying”, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Robert C. Dennis, “Glitter Street Nightmare”, ‘set in Hollywood’, 7th of 10 stories in BM

~ Dorothy Dunn, “Dead-End Darling”, ‘double-crosser’s comedown’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Jim T. Pearce, “Always Leave Them Dying…”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Albert Simmons, “Murder Is the Best Policy”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Tedd Thomey, “Homicide Honeymoon”, ‘Mario Giovani, rookie cop’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Robert P. Toombs, “A Kill for the Bride”, ‘Billed as a “Suspense-Packed Crime-Adventure Novelette”’, last of 3 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1949 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

September 1949 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

better image than previously posted

~ D.L. Champion, “Blackmail Backfire”, 25^th of 26,‘Red Sackler & Joey Graham’, 29^th of 30 stories in BM

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Let Me Kill You Sweetheart”, 14^th of 16 stories in BM

~ James Hall, “Back Door to Hell”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Hiawatha Jones, “Murder Express”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Louis L’Amour, “Collect from a Corpse”, noted author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Phil Richards, “The Slay’s the Thing”, ‘James Greer, ex-playwright’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Robert P. Toombs, “Not Necessarily Dead”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Robert Turner, “Man’s Best Friend”, ‘A dog named Satan’, 1^st of 4 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[updated 3/1/26]

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

November 1932 issue

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Jack Bertin, “Sinful Cibola”, 2^nd of 5 Chip Huard stories, 3^rd of 6 stories in BM

~ Charles E. Cox, Jr., “No Quarter”, “‘Narrowest Escape’ series, supposedly factual”, Italian Front WWI, only story in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “The Magician Murder”, 1^st of 2 stories in this issue by RFW, 22nd of 24 Jo Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Honest Money”, ‘1^st appearance [of 6] of Ken Corning, honest, fighting attorney in NYC; prototype for Perry Mason’, 65th of 99 stories in BM

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

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “South Wind”, ‘2nd (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 in North Carolina; see BM, Mar 1933, p. 124 for note on story’, 2nd of 26 stories in BM, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus, 1946

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Dead Men Tell Tales”, ‘Jay Cameron, hard-boiled city editor’, 2^nd story in this issue by RW’, 59th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[image updated 10/27.25]

October 1925 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

October 1925 issue

cover art by H.C. Murphy

~John Ayotte, “Hawaiian Driftage”, ‘opium ring in Honolulu: some characters from “The Puzzle of Hook Nam”, JA’s last appearance in BM’

~ Ray(mond King) Cummings, “The Mystery at Cragmoor”, only non-McGuirk story (see Apr 23), 14^th of 15 stories in BM

~ Tom Curry, “The Frame-Up”, author’s 1^st of 39 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Alias Buttercup”, 10^th of 53 with RW, ‘Race Williams in Mexico’, reprinted in Them That Lives By Their Guns: The Collected Hard-Boiled Stories of Race Williams, Vol. 1 (Altus Press, 2015), 18th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Joseph Gollomb, “A Pass Key to Scotland Yard”, 3rd of 6 articles

~ Donald MacGregor, “The Dancer in the East”, 5th of 10 stories

~ Charles Somerville, “A Weird Detective”, 44th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 46^th of 49 total articles in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1935 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

September 1935 issue

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

better image than previously posted

~ 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

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1935 Canadian edition

November 1949 issue ~ cover art by Norman Saunders

November 1949 issue

cover art by Norman Saunders

~ Robert C. Dennis, “The 7^th Pallbearer”, 5th of 6 with ‘William (Willie) Carmody, Confidential Investigations & Margaret O’Leary, writer, Hollywood, WC is first-person narrator’, 5th of 10 stories in BM

~ Graham Goulden, “Moonlight ‘n’ Murder”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ John Krill, “Make with a Wake”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Julius Long, “Her Favorite Alibi”, ‘Daring Crime-Adventure Novelette’, last of 23 appearances in BM

~ E.A. Morris, “Steal Your Own Grave”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Milton K. Ozaki, “The Corpse Didn’t Kick”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Edward van der Rhoer, “Crime Waits for No Man”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

[updated 3/1/26]

July 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

July 1936 issue

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

[image updated 10/29/24]

April 1939 issue ~ cover art by Edgar A. Whitney

April 1939 issue

cover art by Edgar A. Whitney

better image than previously posted

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Hide the Evidence”, ‘Johnny Holland; politics & murder’, 8^th of 16 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “Latitude Unknown”, ‘treachery on the high seas’, last of 9 stories in BM

~ B.B. Fowler, “A Sucker Has to Learn”, ‘Rick Sadler, lawyer, born on the wrong side of the tracks’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Fred Hodgkins, “Crime at the Crossing”, ‘death of a little girl’, 1st of 3 stories in BM

~ Baynard H(ardwick) Kendrick, “The Gorgon’s Head”, 9th of 14 stories with Mikes Standish (Stan) Rice, ‘The Hungry’[?], all set in Florida

~ Emile C. Tepperman, “Death – to the Highest Bidder”, ‘Broadway auction house; see p.57 for note by ECT on story’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

January 1936 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

January 1936 issue

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

[cover updated 1/25/26]