black mask magazine – Page 3

July 1929 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

July 1929 issue

cover art by H.C. Murphy

~ Katherine Brocklebank, “Silver Horseshoe”, last of 4 with ‘Tex of Border Service in Tia Juana; Tex is a woman!’, reprinted in White Talons: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Tex of the Border Service (Steeger, 2023), last of 7 stories in BM

~ Tom Curry, “The Water Rats”, 19^th of 23 with Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1^st grade dick, 33rd of 39 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “All the Way”, 7th of 10 Bob Larkin stories, 42nd of 99 stories in BM

~ Heydorn Schleh, “The Whitest Man That Ever Lived”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Regards to the Chief”, 2nd of 6 stories with ‘Cameo Kirby, reformed jewel thief’, 7th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Oliver Swett, “Crossed Lead”, ‘Western’, sole appearance in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “The Carnival Kill”, Gary Greer, 6^th (of 9) in the Laughing Dead series, ‘presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial; pub. As Five (1931) under the pseudonym of Temple Field’, 32nd of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]. Reprinted in Laughing Death (Steeger Books, 2021).

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1921 issue

December 1921 issue

better image than previously posted

~ Meredith Beyers, “The Dark Brown Dress”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Walter Deffenbaugh, “Hear Not, See Not. Speak Not Evil”, 1^st story in this issue

~ Walter Deffenbaugh, “Fit for a King”, 2^nd story in this issue, 7^th and 8^th stories in BM

~ Elizabeth (Bessie) Dudley, “Ananias Ltd”, ‘A Chinese among the characters’, 3rd of 4 stories in BM

~ John B. Hart, “In Full Payment”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ J.B. Hawley, “The Mystery of the One-Legged Man”, 8^th of 12 stories in BM

~ Pettersen Marzoni, “Fear”, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ David Morrison, “Thornton Smiled Significantly”, 2^nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Harry M. Sutherland, “The Weeping Killer”, short-short, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ John D. Swain, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Frederic J. Thorne, “The Prisoner Speaks”, ‘A Complete Mystery Novelette’, 7th of 10 stories in BM

~ Harold Ward, “The Woman Who Cursed a Man”, 19th of 29 stories under this name in BM [29th of 46 stories in BM under three different names – Ward Sterling and H.W. Starr]

~ Henry S. Watson and Asa Steele, “The Trap Thief”, 2^nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles S. Wolfe, “The Finishing Touch”, 1^st of 3 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1938 issue ~ cover art by Raymond S. Pease

May 1938 issue

cover art by Raymond S. Pease

~ William R. Cox, “Half a Crook”, murder & politics, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “I Am the Law”, ‘Meet that implacable, coldly reckless manhunter, Satan Hall’, 1^st of 2 stories (he mostly appeared in Dime Detective Magazine), 67th of 71 appearances in BM

~ James Duncan, “A Deal in Coconuts”, 4 of 5 stories with The Parson, who lives on a ‘mythical’ (fictional?) isle, Cariba, reprinted in Murder for Pennies: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Parson (Steeger, 2024), 9^th of 10 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “Wait for Me”, ‘murder & intrigue in Shanghai’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 5^th of 9 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “Death Sits Down”, 5th of 10 with ‘Oliver Quade, The Human Encyclopedia’, 7th of 14 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Murder Link”, ‘7th (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’, 34th of 50 appearances in BM

~ Donald Wandrei, “Game of Legs”, ‘wrestler’, 2nd of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

April 1922 issue ~ cover art by William Grotz

April 1922 issue

cover art by William Grotz

~ John Baer, “The Campaign for Vengeance”, ‘A Complete mystery novelette’, 16^th of 24 stories in BM

~ George Briggs, “The Too-Easy Alibi”, 1^st of 2 BM stories

~ Walter Deffenbaugh, “A Track-and-a-Half”, 12^th of 14 stories in BM

~ J.S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher, “Exterior to the Evidence”, 1^st of 5 parts, ‘serial re-run of novel 1^st pub in London (1920) with same title’, 1^st of 6 appearances in BM

~ J.B. Hawley, “The Extra Dozen Eggs”, author’s last of 12 stories in BM

~ George B. Jenkins, Jr., “Appearances Are Deceiving”, 1^st of 5 stories in BM

~ Murray Leinster (pseud. of Will F. Jenkins), “Pink Ears”, and 2^nd of 7 stories under this name

~ Pettersen Marzoni, “The Light That Lies”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ R.T.M. Scott (Reginald Thomas Maitland), “The Trap”, ‘Secret Service Smith’, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ J.J. Stagg, “The Finger of Guilt”, 6th of 11 stories in BM

~ Ward Sterling, “The Brand of Cain”, 1st of 3 stories in this issue (see Ward), 12th of 16 stories under this name in BM

~ Ward Sterling, “Hankenson’s Perfect Crime”, 2nd of 3 stories in this issue (see Ward), 13th of 16 stories under this name in BM

~ Harold Ward, “The Man Who Was Two”, 3^rd story in this issue, 23rd of 29 stories under this name in BM [35^th, 36^th and 37th of 46 stories in BM under three different names – Ward Sterling and H.W. Starr]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1947 issue ~ cover art by Peter Stevens

September 1947 issue

cover art by Peter Stevens

~ Norman A. Daniels, “My Dying Day”, Rick Trent, ex-PI, ex-con, 1^st person narrator, 2^nd of 4 stories in BM

~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “Don’t Look Behind You”, 4th of 8 stories in BM

~ John D. MacDonald, “Manhattan Horse Opera”, 1of 6 stories in BM

~ Tom Marvin, “Blood-Red and Beautiful”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Burt Sims, “To Each His Corpse”, ‘diminutive Clint Morgan, Hollywood eye’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Fergus Truslow, “Murder Makes the Cock Crow”, ‘Malott & McCool, L.A. gamblers’, 4th of 6 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

September 1939 UK edition ~ cover art J. George Janes

September 1939 UK edition

cover art J. George Janes

better image than previously posted

~ Frank Collinson, “Death on the Prairie” [Part 2 of 2] ~ article does not appear in the US issue

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Dark Alleys”, 66th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, this one a spy story with Ngat T’oy and Soo Hoo Duck (‘Soo has a name for Jenkins – Sai Yan Pang Yeu: Man of the West Who is My Friend’)

~ Bill Gerry, “Autopsies Tell” [spelling in Hagemann], 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Baynard H(ardwick) Kendrick, “Headless Angel”, 11th of 14 stories with Mikes Standish (Stan) Rice, ‘The Hungry’[?], all set in Florida, this one in a swamp

~ John Lawrence, “Death to Spare”, 5^th of 14 stories in BM

~ Peter Paige, “I Guard Nudes”, ‘factual article; PP is guard at New York’s World’s Fair’, 1^st of 12 stories in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Crime by the Forelock”, 13th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

November 1947 issue ~ cover art by Peter Stevens

November 1947 issue

cover art by Peter Stevens

~ D.L. Champion, “Down Payment on Death”, 24^th of 26 stories with Rex Sackler, reprinted in Murder Costs Money: The Complete Black Mask Stories of Rex Sackler (Steeger, 2020), 26^th of 30 stories in BM

~ Bruno Fischer, “Middleman for Murder”, ‘Willie, narrator, is blackmailer, etc.’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 3^rd of 5 stories in BM

~ William Campbell Gault, “The Case of the Sleeping Beauty”, 4^th of 5 with PI Mortimer Jones, reprinted in Hot-House Homicide: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Mortimer Jones (Steeger, 2925), 5^th of 9 stories in BM

~ R.M.F. Joses, “Red Pearls”, 2nd of 3 with ‘Hollywood private snoop Duane, 1^st person narrator’, 2^nd of 4 stories in BM

~ Julius Long, “Call in the Coroner”, last of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1^st -person narrator’, 22nd of 23 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Please Kill Me Carefully”, “Ned Healey, L.A. private eye’, 25th of 27 stories in BM

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

January 1931 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Carroll John Daly, “’The Flame’ and Race Williams”, 41st of 53 with RW, last of 3 parts, ‘pub.as The Third Murderer (1931)’, reprinted in Shooting out of Turn: The Collected Hard-boiled Stories of Race Williams, v.3 (Altus, 2017), 53rd of 71 appearances in BM

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Diamonds of Death”, last of 6 parts in the ‘Rainbow Diamonds’ sequence that take Jo Gar from Manila to San Francisco, 15^th of 24 Gar stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Hairy Hands”, 36th of 73 with EJ, ‘The “Hairy Hands” reach for Ed Jenkins; see p. 45 for statement on ESG’s knowledge of Chinese language & people’, 53rd of 99 stories in BM

~ Paul Evan Lehman, “Lead Medicine”, Western, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Spare the Rod”, 5th of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus), 33 of 67 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “The Sky Club Affair”, ‘Alan Van Cleve, wealthy sportsman, man-about-town, 1st (of 6) segment in The Skyline Murders series; printed as separate stories rather than conventional serial’; pub. as Killer’s Carnival (1932) under pseudonym of Temple Field’, 50th of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

[post corrected 7/2/26]

May 1945 issue ~ cover art by Gloria Stoll

May 1945 issue

cover art by Gloria Stoll

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “Dressed to Kill”, ‘Sleepy Payne, gambler, 1^st-person narrator’, last of 43 stories in BM

~ Merle Constiner, “The Witch of Birdfoot Ranch”, ‘Sheriff Britten; hill-country setting’, 9^th of 12 stories in BM

~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “The Creeps”, ‘William Payne, clumsy oaf; in a town that has ‘the creeps’, 3^rd of 8 stories in BM

~ Julius Long, “Carnie Kill”, 5th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1^st -person narrator’, 10th of 23 stories in BM

~ James R. McKenna, “Caliente”, ‘short-short; horse racing; 1^st person narrator‘, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “A Noose for Little Nemo”, ‘Sergeant Joe Terry, home on leave’, 20^th of 27 stories in BM

March 1943 issue ~ cover art by Rafael DeSoto

March 1943 issue

cover art by Rafael DeSoto

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Blood on the Lens”, part 3 of 3 of Murder for Two (novel published 1943), last of 27 stories with Flashgun Casey, last of 31 stories in BM

~ C.P. Donnel, Jr., “Conspiracy in Sunlight”, ‘Military Intelligence; set in WWII England’, 13^th of 20 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “The Incredible Mister Smith”, 72nd of 73 Ed Jenkins in Chinatown with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy, 98th of 99 stories in BM

~ Philip Ketchum, “Coffin Number Three”, ‘death of an Army officer; WWII’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Henry Norton, “Slay, Fiddle, Slay”, ‘Steve Wiacheck, Polish-American worker’, 3rd of 6 stories in BM