October 1935 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

October 1935 issue

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

better image than previously posted

~ W.T. Ballard, “You Never Know About Women”, 1st of 7 with ‘Red Drake, undercover investigator for the State Racing Commission, 1st-person narrator’, 15th of 43 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Mr. Casey Flashgun Murder”, 14th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, 14th of 31 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Crash and Carry”, 61th of 73 stories with Ed Jenkins, ‘The Phantom Crook’, 86th of 99 stories in BM

~ Preston Grady, “Massacre”, ‘Ned price, p.i., in South Carolina, 1st-person  narrator; smuggling & Chinese villain.’, author’s sole appearance in BM

~ Leslie T. White, “The City of Hell”, ‘four honest cops “put the Indian sign on a city of graft”’, author’s sole appearance in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 1/25/26]

June 1935 issue ~ cover art by Rudolph Belarski

June 1935 issue

cover art by Rudolph Belarski

better image than previously posted

~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Hide-Out”, ‘1st G-Man Chuck Thompson story of 7; CT, Special Agent, FBI, in LA’, 6th of 21 stories in BM

~ W.T. Ballard, “Murder Makes a Difference”, 2nd of 2 Jimmy DeHaven stories, 14th of 43 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “Nevada Gas”, Johnny DeRuse, first book appearance Five Murderers (Avon digest, 2/3/44), first hardcover appearance The Simple Art of Murder (Houghton Mifflin, 1950), then Pickup on Noon Street (Pocket, 1/52), various paperback editions 5th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Thirty Tickets to Win”, ‘Flashgun Casey at the race-track’, 11th of 27 Casey, 11th of 31 stories in BM

~ Roger Torrey, “Dead Men Can Talk”, last of 11 Dal Prentice capers, Magna City police dick, ‘one tough guy’, 16th of 50 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 11/9/25]

June 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

June 1936 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by John Drew

~ Raymond Chandler, “Goldfish”, Carmady #2 of 4, ‘see May 1936 issue, p. 127, for comment on RC’, first book appearance Five Murderers (Avon digest, 2/3/44), reprinted in the collection Trouble is My Business (Penguin UK, 1950), The Hard-Boiled Detective, (1977), 9th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “Fall Guy”, 17th of 27 with Flashgun Casey, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 19th of 31 stories in BM

~ M.A. Gutschow, “The Wild Rose Hermit”, ‘another in the ‘Narrowest Escape’ series, see Charles E. Cox Jr.’, author’s only appearance in BM

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Two Tickets to Trinidad”, 26th of 32 with Stuart “Black” Burton, ‘square-shooting gambler from the Southwest, often entangled with the law’, 33rd of 39 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Hard to Take”, 36th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.4 (Altus, 2013), 65 of 67 stories in BM

~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Storm Signal”, ‘16th (of 25) Jerry Tracy capers, columnist on the (NYC) Planet, ‘mixer with poor and rich, the crooked and the straight, trailer of trouble and happiness’, reprinted in Murder Maze: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy, vol.2 (Steeger 2022), 17th of 26 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 1/26/26]

Gangsters and Gun Molls #3, 1952

Gangsters and Gun Molls #3, Avon, 1952

cover art by Perlowen

Art taken from Avon Paperback #143, entitled “Flash Casey” by George Harmon Coxe. Art credit from Catalog of Copyright Entries. Third Series: 1948.

[updated 4/15/26]

January 1977 Vintage paperback original, 1st printing

January 1977 Vintage paperback original, 1st printing

edited and with an introduction by Herbert Ruhm

Carroll John Daly, “The False Burton Combs” (Dec, 1922)

Peter Collinson, “The Road Home” (Dashiell Hammettt, Dec, 1922)

Dashiell Hammett, “The Gutting of Couffignal” (Dec, 1925)

Norbert Davis, “Kansas City Flash” (Mar, 1933)

Frederick Nebel, “Take It and Like It” (June, 1934)

Raymond Chandler, “Goldfish” (June, 1936)

Lester Dent, “Angelfish” (Dec, 1936)

Erle Stanley Gardner, “Leg Man” (Feb, 1938)

George Harmon Coxe, “Once Around the Clock” (May, 1941)

Merle Constiner, “The Turkey Buzzard Blues” (July, 1943)

William Brandon, “It’s So Peaceful in the Country” (Nov, 1943)

Curt Hamlin, “Killer Come Home” (his only Black Mask story, July, 1948)

Paul W. Fairman, “Big-Time Operator” (his only Black Mask story, July, 1948)

Bruno Fischer, “Five O’Clock Menace” (May, 1949)

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

March 1936 issue ~ cover art by John Drew

March 1936 issue

cover art by John Drew

better image than previously posted

~ John K. Butler, “Guns for a Lady”, ‘ex-pug, 1st-person narrator; bodyguard for girl’, 2nd of 11 stories in BM

~ Paul Cain, “Pineapple”, ‘Nick Green & Blondie Kessler, police-reporter’, later released as one of the Seven Slayers (1950 Avon), reprinted in The Complete Slayers (2011 Centipede Press), 16th of 17 stories in BM

~ Raymond Chandler, “The Man Who Liked Dogs”, ‘1st of 4 Carmady stories, reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Omnibus (1946)‘ [Simon & Schuster, first hardcover and first book appearance], and Killer in the Rain (Hammish hc, 1964), 7th of 11 stories in BM

~ George Harmon Coxe, “You Gotta Be Tough”, 1st of 4 stories with Paul Baron, 16th of 31 stories in BM

~ Thomas Walsh, “Diamonds Mean Death”, ‘Joe Keenan, private copper’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), last of 6 stories in BM

~ Edward S. Williams, “Death Has Green Eyes”, ‘Mike Dunneen, private ‘tec’, 1st of 8 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 10/27/25]