February 15, 1924 ~ cover art by L.L. Balcom & Harry Fisk

February 15, 1924 issue

cover art by Julius Erbit

better image than previously posted

~ Eustace Hale Ball, “A Vengeance of Death”, ‘A Black Mask Fantasy

~ Harold De Polo, “Salted”, 3rd of 6 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The New Racket”, ‘billed as a ‘tip for judges and lawyers’, 7th of 45 stories in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “The Lady in Handcuffs”, 6th of 10 with ‘Captain Valentine, that ‘attractive European scalawag’, adventurer and rascal’ 22th of 29 stories in BM

~ Herman Petersen, “That Yellow Devil”, 2nd of 2 parts, ‘Madame Pinar, Eurasian’, 17th of 20 stories in BM

~ Edith Lyle Ragsdale, “The Curse of Indra”, ‘daytime story’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ R.T.M. Scott (Reginald Thomas Maitland), “Esses Pip Seven”, ‘billed as a “novelty for veterans”’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Aeroplane Burglar” 25th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series

~ Herbert Elisha Stover, “Fangs”, last of 3 pieces in BM

~ Merlin Moore Taylor, “Chains That Bind”, ‘billed as “A gripping detective novelette”’, 5th of 8 appearances in BM

~ Edwin Goodenow Wood, “Devil’s Bowl”, ‘Advertised as “A Novelette of Strangeness and Swiftness”’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

October 1939 issue ~ cover art by Edgar A. Whitney

October 1939 issue

cover art by Edgar A. Whitney

better image than previously posted

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Murder on the Gayway”, 6th of 7 Beeker stories, ‘SF World’s Fair, Treasure Island Nude Ranch’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 20th of 21 stories in BM

~ William Cole, “Waiting for Rusty”, ‘short-short’, only appearance in BM

~ Tiah Devitt, “The Haunted Inn”, last of 2 stories in BM

~ Mark Harper, “Death Rides Double”, ‘motorcycle cop’, pseudonym of Joseph T. Shaw, editor of BM, only fiction to appear under this name in the magazine

~ Fred Hodgkins, “Strangle-Hold”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “Moron’s Holiday”, last of 29 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Kill That Witness”, ‘12th (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’, 39th of 50 appearances in BM

~ Cornell Woolrich, “Collared”, ‘see p.31 for letter from CW on this story’, 14th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop