c.s. montanye – SMB Noir

October 1920 issue ~ cover art by William Grotz

October 1920 issue

cover art by William Grotz

~ Christopher B. Booth, “The Curse of Chester Whitaker”, 2^nd of 5 BM stories

~ Hamilton Craigie, “Above Suspicion”, 3rd of 7 solo stories in BM

~ Eric A. Darling, “The Man in the Astrakhan Coat”, Parisian amateur sleuth Dale Owen, 3^rd of 5 stories in BM

~ Thomas A. Hanley, “The Mysterious Terror”, ‘horror tale, featuring a beast, The Unnamable’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ J.B. Hawley, “The Man O’Leary Couldn’t Catch”, ‘NYPD Lt. O’Leary & jewel thief’, 2^nd of 12 stories in BM

~ Albert MacCray, “In the Shadows of the Jungle”, ‘set in Borneo; Chinese, et al.’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Charles McDonnel, “The Crimson Scars”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Roylston Markham, “The Scar of the Gibbering Imp”, ‘short-short‘, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Safe in the Library”, ‘crookdom, complete with criminal argot’, 5th of 29 stories in BM

~ Lewis H. Moulton, “The Voice of the Dead Man”, ‘short-short’, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Anthony M. Rud, “The Silver Screw”, ‘”Complete Mystery Novelette”; set in Ivory Coast (Africa)’, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Harold Ward, “The Man Who Returned”, 7th of 29 stories under this name in BM [11th of 46 stories in BM under three different names – Ward Sterling and H.W. Starr]

~ Samuel Wilcox, “The Witness”, ‘short-short’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Arthur Seymour Witt, “The Crawling Crime”, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 15, 1923 issue ~ cover art by A. Rose

March 15, 1923 issue

cover art by A. Rose

~ John Baer, “The Three Witnesses”, ‘”Compete Mystery Novelette”; set in Pittsburgh suburb’, 23th of 24 stories in BM

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “The Trail of the Scarlet Fox”, part 5 of 6 parts with various subtitles, 5th of 13 appearances in BM

~ Charles Phelps Cushing, “A Tassel of Black Yarn”, ‘Mammie Skaggs, policewoman’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Meredith Davis, “The Lower Law”, ‘innocent victim burned at the stake by a lynch mob’, 2^nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Drayton Dunster, “The Tombstone Babette”, ‘A Cemetery Tale’, 4^th of 9 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “Sinister Images”, ‘Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman (‘the young Central Office Man’) with Police Chief Shannon‘, last of 4 parts, 6th of 20 appearances in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “A Shock for the Countess”, ‘Countess d’Yls steals some pearls; set in Paris’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 16th of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Big Surprise”, ‘Capt. Fay, German spy in USA during WWI’, 4th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 4^th of 49 total articles in BM

~ Willett Stockard, “A Dead Girl in the Moonlight”, ‘rural setting; dead girl avenged by badman’, 1^st of 5 stories in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “Playing Both Ends”, 6th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, fiction, 6^th of 13^th appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

May 1925 issue ~ cover art by O.K. Uzzell

May 1925 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by O.K. Uzzell

~ John Nicholas Beffel, “Finger-Prints”, ‘article – can fingerprints be forged?; this prompts answer from Dashiell Hammett’, June 1925 issue, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Painless Extraction”, 3^rd of 10, ‘Bob Larkin in Mexico’, 6^th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Scorched Face”, ‘the Op, called here ‘The Continental Sleuth’ by ed.’, [11^th of 22], 16^th of 45 stories in BM

~ Lillian W. Keenan, “The Lost Glove Needle”, ‘described as ‘shrewd detective work’”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “An Adventure in Diamonds”, 9^th of 10 with ‘Captain Valentine, that ‘attractive European scalawag’, adventurer and rascal’, 25th of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Tracking of a Fiend”, 40th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 41st of 49 total articles in BM

~ J. Paul Suter, “The Uncomfortable Buddha”, 5th of 15 stories with The Reverend McGregor Daunt, ‘clergyman by profession and detective by choice’, 8th of 19 appearances in BM

~ L. King Tichenor, “A Thousand Dollar Bill”, 1^st of 5 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

April 15, 1924 issue

April 15, 1924 issue

better image than previously posted

~ Carroll John Daly, “One Night of Frenzy”, 10th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Harold De Polo, “Mr. Dugan’s Vocation”, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Marjory Stoneman Douglas, “White Midnight”, last of 4 parts, ‘South Seas setting’, author’s only story in BM

~ Edward Ettinger, “The Mystery of Perkins Farm”, 2^nd and last story in BM

~ Arthur S. Garbett, “The Times Speeder”, ‘amateur sleuth, 1^st-person narrator, novelette’, last of 4 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The House in Turk Street”, the Op [9^th of 25], see sequel “The Girl with the Silver Eyes”, (6/1924), 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), 15th of 51 stories in BM

~ L.M. Lish, “Poker”, ‘short-short’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Seven Gold Figures”, 7^th of 10 with ‘Captain Valentine, that ‘attractive European scalawag’, adventurer and rascal’, ‘see p.127 for letter from CSM‘, 23rd of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “A Reporter’s Clue”, 28th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 29^th of 49 total articles in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

April 1921 issue ~ cover art by William Grotz

April 1921 issue

cover art by William Grotz

~ John Baer, “Partners in Crime”, 4^th of 24 stories in BM

~ Hamilton Craigie, “The Lap of the Lady”, shop lifting and female impersonation, last of 7 solo stories in BM

~ Eric A. Darling, “The Pigtail of Wi-Wing-Ho”, ‘Chinese; diamond hidden in pigtail’, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Walter Deffenbaugh, “The Second Safe”, ‘safe-cracker, narrator’, 2^nd of 14 stories in BM

~ Ford Douglas, “The Mardi Gras Souvenir”, ‘”Complete Mystery Novelette”, 1^st-person narrator’, 1^st of 4 stories in BM

~ Gaius Drew, “Murder Magic”, ‘Benson the Houseman’, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Clinton [aka Charles] Harcourt, “The Hold-Up on Napoleon Boulevard”, ‘Barney Fagan, thief’, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ Marc Edmond Jones, “Death’s Bridegroom”, author’s only appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “What the Moonlight Revealed”, 8th of 29 stories in BM

~ Hubert de Tavanne Roussel, “The Stained Paper”, ‘short-short’, and “The Yellow Stripe”, ‘set in the Kalahari Desert (South Africa)’, 2^nd and 3rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Ward Sterling, “The Riddle of the Tattooed Men”, 1st of 2 stories in this issue (see Ward), 7th of 16 stories under this name in BM

~ John D. Swain, “Mahogany Brogues”, ‘cocaine addict kills bully on NYC subway’, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Harold Ward, “Under the Crimson Skull”, ‘two detectives & Cora Morgan, “government operative’, 2^nd story in this issue, 13th of 29 stories under this name in BM [19^th and 20th of 46 stories in BM under three different names – Ward Sterling and H.W. Starr]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

June 1920 issue ~ cover art by William Grotz

June 1920 issue – third issue

cover art by William Grotz

~ Hamilton Craigie, “The Dead Ringer”, 2nd of 7 solo stories in BM

~ Eric A. Darling, “That Thing on the Bed”, 1^st of 5 stories in BM

~ Schuyler Hamilton, “Run to Earth”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Clinton [aka Charles] Harcourt, “The Chest of Delicious Curves”, 2nd of 6 stories in BM

~ Harry C. Hervey, Jr., “The Black Menace”, 2nd of 8 appearances in BM

~ William H. Kofoed, “The Scarlet Mask”, 1st of 3 stories in BM [under this name?]

~ Maurice Level, “The Confession”, 2^nd of 2 stories in BM

~ H.T. MacKender, “The Coward”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Final Raid”, 2nd of 29 stories in BM

~ Charles F. Oursler and John I. Pearce, “The Hand of Judas”, authors’ only appearance in BM

~ Edward E. and Dorothy S. Rose, “The Night of November 7^th”, authors’ only appearance in BM

~ Valentine Williams, “The Mystery of the Brown Leather Suit-Case”, 2^nd of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

December 1949 issue

December 1949

cover art by Rudolph Belarski?

May 1921 issue ~ cover art by Archie Gunn

May 1921 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by Archie Gunn

~ John Baer, “The Struggle in the Dark”, 5^th of 24 stories in BM

~ Walter De Leon, “Marked By the Moon”, 1^st of 2 stories in BM

~ Paul Everman, “A Call at Carnagy’s”, ‘short-short’, 3rd of 4 stories in BM

~ Clinton [aka Charles] Harcourt, “The Reflection in the Mirror”, last of 6 stories in BM

~ Julian Kilman, “The Fugitive”, 5th of 6 stories in BM

~ William H. Kofoed, “The Foot on the Skylight”, last of 3 stories in BM [under this name?]

~ Robert K. Lennox, “The Price of Vanity”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Lloyd Lonergan, “The Hunch”, 1^st of 8 stories in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “ The Telegram”, and “Told By a Card”, 2 stories in this issue, 9th and 10^th of 29 stories in BM

~ Angus Perkerson, “Ether”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Hubert de Tavanne Roussel, “The Trap”, ‘short-short’, 4th of 7 stories in BM

~ Anthony M. Rud, “The Farson Enigma”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Harold Ward, “Out of the Jaws of Death”, ‘short-short’, 14th of 29 stories under this name in BM [21st of 46 stories in BM under three different names – Ward Sterling and H.W. Starr]

September 1924 UK issue ~ cover art by L.L. Balcom

September 1924 UK issue

cover art by L.L. Balcom

most contents the same as US Sept. 1924

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Dragon Fly”, 14th of 29 stories in BM [US Jan.’23]

~ Royce Brier, “Black and Blue”, ‘set in Mexico’, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Accommodatin’ a Lady”, 1^st of 10 Bob Larkin stories, 1^st person narrator, author’s first appearance in BM under this name (see June, 1924), 2^nd of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Women, Politics and Murder”, the Op [11^th of 25], reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), in The Girl with the Silver Eyes: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Continental Op, vol.2 (Steeger, 2023), 18^th of 51 stories in BM

~ Francis James, “The Long Hand of Middleton”, Prentice, Harvard-trained criminologist turned policeman, 16th of 20 appearances in BM

~ Jud Pierce, “Sunrise”, ‘short-short’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Ray Raymond, “The Curse of the Long Tooth”, ‘South Seas mystery’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Rough Diamond”, 33rd of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 34th of 49 total articles in BM

~ George A. Wright, “The Mountain Comes to Mohammad”, author’s only appearance in BM

February 1947 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

February 1947

cover art by Rudolph Belarski