January 1930 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

January 1930

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Double or Quit”, 31th of 73 with Ed Jenkins, ‘last episode in his fight with Ramsey: Arthur Hemington also around’, 48th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon”, part last of 5 serialized parts before hardcover publication (1931), 39th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “The Little Black Book”, 4th of 14 Frost stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, 5th of 17 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Tough Treatment”, 8th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, ‘but not in Richmond City’, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.1 (Altus, 2013), 20 of 67 stories in BM

~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “A Chance Shot”, ‘Western mystery’, 4th of 8 with Red Saunders, 8th of 12 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Red Smoke”, ‘Mal Ourney; part 2 (of 5), ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, published in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 36th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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December 1925 issue

December 1925 issue

~ Carroll John Daly, “Under Cover”, 1st of 2 parts, Race Williams, 11th of 53, reprinted in Them That Lives By Their Guns: The Collected Hard-Boiled Stories of Race Williams, Vol. 1 (Altus Press, 2015), 19th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “The Triple Cross”, 5th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, 11th of 99 stories in BM

~ Joseph Gollomb, “Vienna’s Scholarly Detectives”, 5th of 6 articles

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Gutting of Couffignal”, the Op [18th of 25], reprinted in The Return of the Continental Op (Dell mapback, 1947), reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 25th of 51 stories in BM

~ Donald MacGregor, “The House of Flashing Lights”, ‘concerning a vaudeville actor’, 7th of 10 stories

~ Benjamin Michalek, “The Invisible Order of the Living Dead”, “advertised as ‘strange and weird story’”, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Charles Somerville, “Trapped”, 45th of 47 articles in the ‘Manhunter’ series, 47th of 49 total articles in BM

~ J. Paul Suter, “The German Field Glass”, 8th of 15 stories with The Reverend McGregor Daunt, ‘clergyman by profession and detective by choice’, 11th of 19 appearances in BM

November 1926 issue ~ cover art by H.C. Murphy

November 1926

cover art by Henry C. Murphy

~ Carroll John Daly, “Half-Breed”, 16th of 53 with ‘Race Williams among the Oklahoma oil-rich Indians’, reprinted in Them That Lives By Their Guns: The Collected Hard-Boiled Stories of Race Williams, Vol. 1 (Altus Press, 2015), 24th of 71 appearances in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Money, Marbles and Chalk”, 11th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, ‘still a ‘crook’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 19th of 99 stories in BM

~ (Charles John) Cutcliffe Hyne, “The Guns for Cuba”, 1st of 8 yarns with Captain Kettle, author’s debut in BM

~ Don Livingston, “The Awakening of Bash Langley”, ‘modern-day Western’, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Grain to Grain”, ‘Corson & Gleason, ex-gangster and ex-boxer turned dicks’, reprinted in Street Wolf (Altus Press, 2014), 2 of 67 stories

~ Lt. Col. J.H. [John Henry] Patterson, D.S.O., “The Man-Eaters of Tsavo”, 2nd of 7 serialized parts of this ex-British Army officer’s account of building a railway in Kenya, 1898-1899; book published in 1927

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Delivered Goods”, ‘aviator hero; see headnote for data on RFW’, 7th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

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May 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

May 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

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~ W.T. Ballard, “Blackmailers Die Hard”, 14th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 19th of 43 stories in BM

~ John K. Butler, “Dark Return”, ‘Mark Dana, ex-G-man’, 3rd of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Murder Mixup”, 16th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 18th of 31 stories in BM, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Beating the Bulls”, 63th of 73 Ed Jenkins stories, ‘The Phantom Crook’, 88th of 99 stories in BM

~ Eric Taylor, “Murder to Music”, ‘Jess Arno, private eye’, 6th of 7 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 1929 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

February 1929 issue

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

better image than previously posted

~ Tom Curry, “The Taste of Blood”, 16th of 23 with Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1st grade dick, ‘small-time crook develops into killer’, 27th of 39stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Bracelets for Two”, 25th of 73 stories with Ed Jenkins, with his wife Helen Chadwick, 38th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Black Riddle”, last of 4 Continental Op stories that will go together to make up The Dain Curse (Knopf hc, 1929), reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 39th of 51 stories in BM

~ Carl L. Martin, “Still Buzzards”, Deputy Lon Havens, Drew County, Bayou country, and friends in the delta, 5th of 6 in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Brewed at Benetti’s”, 1st of 6 stories with ‘Phil Craleigh, once brilliant lawyer, now a drunk, given to bouts of reform’, 4th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “On the Spot”, ‘Gary Greer; 1st (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’, 26th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]. Reprinted in Laughing Death (Steeger Books, 2021).

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[updated 6/4/24]

November 1929 issue ~ cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

November 1929 issue, Joseph T. Shaw, editor

better image than previously posted

cover painting by J.W. Schlaikjer

Frederick Nebel, “Hell-Smoke” (Capt. MacBride novelette)

Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon” (part two of the serialized novel before publication as a novel – first appearance of this section- not even mentioned on the cover)

Earl and Marion Scott, “The Second Spartan”

Carroll John Daly, “The Silver Eagle” (Race Williams novelette)

Erle Stanley Gardner, “Brass Tacks” (Ed Jenkins novelette)

Tom Curry, “The Man from Headquarters”

Henry Wallace Phillips, “The Demon in the Canyon”

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop