June 1924 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

June 1924 issue

cover art by H.C. Murphy

~ Russell Arden Bankson, “Underground”, ‘The detective-sheriff of the Kaniksu country’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Madeline Bartlett, “The Mutilated Masterpiece”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Frank L. Benscoter, “Gilligan and Co”, ‘Introducing a new character’, 1st of 5 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Red Peril”, 3rd of 53 with Race Williams, reprinted in Them That Lives By Their Guns: The Collected Hard-Boiled Stories of Race Williams, Vol. 1 (Altus Press, 2015) 11th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “A Fair Trial”, ‘pub. anonymously; authorship established in Hughes, Gardner, (1978), p. 312’, 1st of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Girl with the Silver Eyes”, the Op [10th of 25], referred to in BM as ‘Hammett’s San Francisco Detective’, sequel to “The House in Turk Street” (4/15/1924), issue also includes letter about the story, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 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),17th of 51 stories in BM

~ Frank Howard, Jr., “The Vernacular at the Night Court”, ‘No data’ [no explanation as to what that means], author’s only appearance in BM

~ Victor Shea, “Mr. Pentridge Comes Down to Breakfast”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Lively Corpse”, 30th of 49 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 31st of 49 total articles in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “Monty’s Last Job”, last of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, last of 13 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[terrible cover but first I’ve seen since starting this project in 2013]

[cover updated 2/16/26]

October 1, 1934 issue ~ cover art by John Newton Howitt

October 1, 1934 issue

cover art by John Newton Howitt

better image than previously posted

Carroll John Daly, “Ticket to Murder” (Clay Holt)

George Harmon Coxe, “The Flaming Shadow” (Det. Carson)

Max Brand, “Wet Money” (Dave Clovelly)

Oscar Schisgall, “Palooka Death Pawn”

Anson Hatch, “Dumb Double” (Det. Jack Farley)

Robert C. Blackmon, “The Body in the Loge”

Richard Hoadley Tingley, “Crossroads of Crime #1”

March 1928 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

March 1928 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

better image than previously posted

~ Tom Curry, “The Gang”, DeVrite, NYPD undercover ‘secret agent’, 2nd of 7, 21st of 39 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Egyptian Lure”, 22nd of 53 with RW,‘The Name Race Williams Stand for Service’, 31st of 71 appearances in BM

~ Bob Du Soe, “All Over a Pup”, ‘waterfront bum takes on hijackers because of a dog’, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Whispering Feet”, 20th of 73 with Ed Jenkins, with Soo Hoo Duck & Ngat T’oy, ‘see endnote, p.73, for data on series’, 30th of 99 stories in BM

~ Henry Leverage, “The Clue Upstairs”, ‘Big Scar, yegg, just out of stir‘, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Anderson McCully, “The Masked Trail”, ‘story of the Far North’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Bentley B. MacCay, “Bullfrogs”, ‘Louisiana tale’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Everett H. Tipton, “Killers Should Run”, ‘Western’, 3rd of 7 stories in BM

~ Wilber Wheeler [see Riblew Reelhew, Mar & May ’27], “The Trail of Sudden Death”, ‘Western’, 2nd of 2 under this name in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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

June 1932 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Thomson Burtis, “They Don’t Shake Hands in Arkansas”, ‘Slats Kirke in Detroit’, 4th of 6 appearances in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Velvet”, ‘Kells & Granquist; part 3 of Fast One’, reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), Black Mask: The Complete Stories (2013 Mysterious Press), Lead Party: The Complete Fiction Works of Paul Cain (Steeger, 2024), 4th of 17 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “The Amateur Murderer”, 45th of 53 with Race Williams, part 3 of 4, published as a novel in 1933, reprinted in If Death is Respectable: The Collected Hard-boiled Stories of Race Williams, v.4 (Altus, 2018), 57th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Norbert Davis, “Reform Racket”, ‘Dan Stiles; one-time gunman’, 1st of 13 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Cooking Crooks”, 44th of 73 with Ed Jenkins, ‘with Norma Gay’, 61st of 99 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “The Golden Rule”, 11th of 14 Frost stories ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, reprinted in Headfirst into Hell: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Front, Vol. 2 (Steeger, 2025), 13h of 17 stories in BM

~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “A Touch of Nature”, Western mystery, last of 8 with Red Saunders who ‘fights a “wild man in kilts”’, last of 12 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 1932 issue ~ cover art William Reusswig

March 1932, issue #5

cover art by William Reusswig

better image than previously posted

Oscar Schisgall, “The Death Scream”

Edward Parrish Ware, “The Skull of Judgment” (Det. Tug Norton)

J. Allan Dunn, “Out of the Night”

Frederick Nebel, “Phantom Fingers” (Cardigan)

Carroll John Daly, “The Curtain of Frost” (Vee Brown)

Maxwell Hawkins, “Murder Digs Its Grave”

October 1932 issue ~ cover art by William Reusswig

October 1932 issue

cover art by William Reusswig

better image than previously posted

Carroll John Daly, “As Midnight Strikes” (Vee Brown)

J. Allan Dunn, “The Saffron Shadow” (Fang Li)

Frederick Nebel, “The Dead Don’t Die” (Cardigan)

John Lawrence, “The Torso Trap” (Sam Beckett)

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

May 15, 1923 issue

cover art by A. Rose

better image than previously posted

~ Raymond J. Brown, “Phantom Bullets”, part 4 of 5, only work in BM

~ Jack Carlton, “Four Shots”, ‘cemetery tale’, 1of 2 stories in BM

~ Carroll John Daly, “Three Gun Terry”, 1st of 2 with PI Terry Mack, 4th of 71 appearances in BM, reprinted in The Black Mask Boys (1985, Morrow). Reprinted in The Man in the Shadows: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Terry Mack (Steeger Books, 2021).

~ Carl Glick, “In the Grey Dawn”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM

~ Charles T. Jordan, “A Matter of Postage”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Herman Petersen, “In Mutiny”, ‘A weird thing’, 7th of 20 stories in BM

~ Robert Russell, “The Snake”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “The Clue in the Turf”, ‘“Honest John” Brunen, murder victim & Ellis Parker, detective’, 8th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 8th of 49 total articles in BM

~ Joe Taylor, “Ragged Seams”, 8th of 12 tales in ‘My Underworld’ series, 9th of 13th appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

July 1936 issue ~ cover art by Walter Baumhofer

July 1936 issue

cover art by Walter Baumhofer

better image than previously posted

Carroll John Daly, “Red Dynamite” (Vee Brown)

Frederick C. Davis, “The Case of the Corpse’s Bride” (Carter Cole, MD)

T.T. Flynn, “Murder Moon”

Robert Sidney Bowen, “The Other Bullet” (Kip Lacey)

William E. Barrett, “Death on the Double-O” (Blue Barrel)

December 1938 issue ~ cover art by John Fleming Gould

December 1938 issue

cover art by John Fleming Gould

better image than previously posted

Carroll John Daly, “The Quick and the Dead” (Race Williams)

Frederick C. Davis, “The Ghoul Hangs High” (Keyhole Kerry)

D.L. Champion, “Lock the Death House Door!”

O.B. Myers, “Don’t Bet on Ghosts” (Doc Kincaid)

Mark Harper, “Frame for a Fall-Guy”

August 1932 issue ~ cover art by William Reusswig

August 1932 issue

cover art by William Reusswig

better image than previously posted

Westmoreland Gray, “The Beast in Black (Colin Windsor)

Carroll John Daly, “Murder at Midnight” (Vee Brown)

Erle Stanley Gardner, “Forged Kill” (Dick Bentley)

Frederick Nebel, “Rogues’ Ransom” (Cardigan)

Oscar Schisgall, “The Hooded Terror” (Kent Carmiody)

Photo and profile of Gardner appeared on pgs. 123-24