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”, 3rd of 10, ‘Bob Larkin in Mexico’, 6th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Scorched Face”, ‘the Op, called here ‘The Continental Sleuth’ by ed.’, [11th of 22], 16th 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”, 9th 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”, 1st of 5 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

Spill the Jackpot x 8

1941 Morrow hardcover
4th in the Bertha Cool & Donald Lam series

1946 Dell mapback

cover art by George A. Frederiksen/ mapback by Ruth Belew

1951 British Pocket paperback edition

cover art by Roland Davies

1959 Panther edition from Britain – cover art by Ley Kenton

1952. Dell reissue – cover art by Carl Bobertz

1957 Dell reissue – cover illustration by by Push-Pin Studios

April 1962 Dell reissue – cover art by Harry Bennett

1967 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert Abbett

January 15, 1934 issue ~ cover art by William Reusswig

January 15, 1934 issue

cover art by William Reusswig

better image than previously posted

Erle Stanley Gardner, “Time for Murder” (George Brokay)

John Lawrence, “The Scarlet Casket (Sam Beckett)

Leslie T. White, “The Zodiac Clue” (Bart Shane)

Jan Dana, “Panamint Oil”

George Alden Edson, “The Death Club” (Larry Sall)

March 1937 issue ~ cover art by Harry Stoner

March 1937 issue

cover art by Harry Stoner

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “This is Murder”, 18th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 24th of 43 stories in BM

~ Hugh B. Cave, “Dead Dog”, ‘Pooch Hanley a cop who likes dogs’, 2nd of 9 stories in BM

~ James Duncan, “Double Trouble”, 1st of 5 stories with ‘The Parson, who lives on a ‘mythical’ (fictional?) isle, Cariba’, set in Havana, reprinted in Murder for Pennies: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Parson (Steeger, 2024), 6th of 10 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “This Way Out”, 64th Ed Jenkins ‘as Bob Sabin; with Ngat T’oy’, same title as 3/1927 but different story, 89th of 99 stories in BM

~ Eric Howard, “The Mugg from Frisco”, ‘Kelly, 1st person narrator & some shady politics’, 1st of 6 stories in BM

~ H. Randolph Peacock, “Dead Alibi”, 1st of 3 with Otto, department store dick, making ‘$40 a week at Klineman’s‘, ‘see p. 127 for word on HRP‘, 1st of 4 stories in BM

~ Cole Richards, “No Reprieve”, ‘short-short’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Always a Lady”, ‘Lieutenant Delehanty, a cop’, 26th of 50 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

January 1932 issue ~ cover art by Delos Palmer

January 1932 – debut issue of only 7 published – one of the rarest of collectable pulps

cover art by Delos Palmer

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Bats Fly at Night x 6

1942 Morrow hardcover

7th with private eyes Bertha Cool and Donald Lam

1948 Dell reissue – cover art by Gerald Gregg

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1953 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert Stanley

cover art by Robert McGinnis

1960 Dell reissue

1963 Dell reissue – cover art by Ron Lesser

1966 Dell reissue – cover art by Robert Abbett

August 1929 issue ~ cover art by Fred Craft

August 1929 issue

cover art by Fred Craft

~ Peter Ames Cressey, “Do Your Stuff, Ranger”, ‘Western with Carnes’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Spawn of the Night”, 8th of 10 Bob Larkin stories, listed incorrectly in the Table of Contents as ‘Hanging Friday’, 43rd of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “Fly Paper”, ‘the Op [23rd of 25] & arsenical fly paper, reprinted The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)’, reprinted in The Big Book of the Continental Op (Vintage, 2017), 40th of 51 stories of BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “The Other Cameo”, 3rd of 6 stories with ‘Cameo Kirby, reformed jewel thief’, 8th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ Victor Shaw, “Birds of Prey”, ‘getaway from a road gang’, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “River Street Death”, Gary Greer, 7th (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’, 33rd of 68 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]. Reprinted in Laughing Death (Steeger Books, 2021).

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 1932 issue ~ cover art by William Reusswig

March 1932 – first of only two issues published

cover art by William Reusswig

“this rare pulp re-packages contents from ‘Gang World'”

better image than previously posted