
August 1960 Dell paperback reissue, first printing
cover painting by Robert McGuire
better image than previously posted

August 1960 Dell paperback reissue, first printing
cover painting by Robert McGuire
better image than previously posted

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer
~ Norbert Davis, “Kansas City Flash”, ‘Mark Hull, ex-stunt man, in Hollywood & L.A; reprinted in The Hard-Boiled Detective (1977)’, 2nd of 13 stories in BM
~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Red Jade”, 48th of 73 Ed Jenkins in Chinatown with Soo Hoo Duck, Ngat T’oy; ‘see p.5 for a letter from ESG to JTS’ [Joseph T. Shaw, ed.], 69th of 99 stories in BM
~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Rough Reform”, 20th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, reprinted in Too Young to Die: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kennedy, v.3 (Altus, 2013), 45 of 67 stories in BM
~ Norvell Page, “The Confessional”, ‘2nd of 3 Jules Tremaine stories; Manhattan and Little Italy; (ed. note) a projected & potentially important series that never developed’ [Hagemann doesn’t explain his editor’s note], only these 3 stories in BM. Reprinted in Black Harvest: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jules Tremaine (Steeger Books, 2021).
~ William Rollins, Jr., “K.O. Carries On”, 2nd of 4 stories with ‘Kenneth Osborne from ‘No’th Cah’lina’; 1st person narrator’, 19th of 23 stories in BM
~ Theodore A. Tinsley “Help Wanted”, ‘6th (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’, 6th of 26 stories in BM. Reprinted in South Wind: The Complete Black Mask Cases of Jerry Tracy (Steeger Books, 2021).
~ Roger Torrey, “A Night in Menlo”, ‘Western; Deputy Marshall Henry Corbin in town of Menlo’, 2nd of 50 appearances in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

cover art by J. W. Schlaikjer
better image than previously posted
~ Eugene Cunningham, “Border Guns”, ‘Western; Johnny Hearne, Border patrolman’, 4th of 14 stories in BM
~ Tom Curry, “The Man from Headquarters”, 20th of 23 with Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1st grade dick, 35th of 39 stories in BM
~ Dashiell Hammett, “Death and Company”, ‘last Op [22nd] story and DH’s final appearance in BM’, last of 45 stories in BM
~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “Lone Hand Tactics”, 2nd of 3 with Rio Kennedy of the Customs Service in Santo Domingo, 20th of 39 stories in BM
~ Frederick L. Nebel, “Rough Justice”, 1st of 15 stories with ‘tough dick Donahue of Interstate’, 26 of 67 stories in BM, reprinted in The Black Mask Boys (1985, Morrow), reprinted in Tough as Nails (2012, Altus)
~ James P. Olsen, “Horror Hacienda”, ’Wolf Cazell in New Mexico’, 2nd of 6 Western stories in BM
~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Death in a Bowl”, last of 3 serialized parts, ‘Ben Jardinn, Hollywood eye, & murder in Hollywood Bowl’, ‘(originally titled The Maestro Murder)’, published in hardcover in 1931 by Knopf, 43rd of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
~ Dale Clark, “The Sound of the Shot”, 26th of 28 stories with O’Hanna, ‘with movie people & Hollywood beauty contest’, 30th of 32 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “Hot-House Homicide”, ‘debut of Mortimer Jones (Jonesy), private cop, narrator, drives a Duesenberg’, 1st of 9 stories in BM
~ C.M. (Cyril) Kornbluth, “Beer-Bottle Polka”, ‘Tim Skeat, private cop, 1st person narrator, in NYC’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 1st of 2 stories in BM, both with Skeat
~ Julius Long, “This Is Murder”, 14th of 17 stories with ‘Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 19th of 23 stories in BM
~ William Rough, “Don’t Burn Your Corpses Behind You”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; 4th of 5 capers’ in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

cover art by James Lunnon
better image than previously posted
~ W.T. Ballard, “Mobster Guns”, 20th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 30th of 43 stories in BM
~ Hugh B. Cave, “Curtain Call”, 4th of 9 stories in BM
~ Eric Howard, “Fifty Grand Frail”, ‘Tim Ryan, private snoop, 1st person narrator’, 5th of 6 stories in BM
~ Edgar Pangborn, “Bullet Song”, ‘Tom Paradine, music critic’, author’s sole appearance in BM
~ Theodore A. Tinsley, “Station K-I-L-L”, ‘23rd (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’, 24th of 26 stories in BM
~ Donald Wandrei, “Tick, Tock”, ‘time bomb’, 5th of 6 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
[cover updated 1/28/26]

February 1969 Signet paperback original
cover art by Robert McGinnis
background is his version of Robert Motherwell’s Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 70, 1961


cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
~ W.T. Ballard, “The Colt and the Killer”, 26th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 39th of 43 stories in BM
~ William E. Brandon, “Wake Up and Give!”, ‘skullduggery & a college bequest’, 4th of 7 stories in BM
~ John Lawrence, “Murder, Maestro, Please”, ‘Jamie Harrod, ‘Maestro of Swing’, 1st -person narrator, framed for murder; set in Detroit’, 11th of 14 stories in BM
~ Peter Paige, “The Night You Shot Hitler”, ’Murder of an RAF pilot in NYC’, 10th of 12 stories in BM
~ C.G. Tahney, [pseud of Charles Green, not to be confused with Charles M. Green], “And a Little Child Shall Bleed Them”, Nickie and Uncle Pat, 3rd of 5 stories in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
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cover art by Peter Stevens
better image than previously posted
~ Maurice Beam, “Ear-witness”, ‘Malmin, lawyer’ (thought to be possibly a pseud. of Robert Leslie Bellem), last of 7 stories under this name in BM
~ D.L. Champion, “Extra-Alibi”, ‘Baxter Beamish, ex-con turned private eye; his business card reads “Set a Crook to Catch a Crook”’, 28th of 30 stories in BM
~ Richard Deming, “No Pockets in a Shroud”, Manville “Manny” Moon, 1st-person narrator, 3rd of 6 stories in BM
~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “Legitimately Dead”, ‘Fells’, 6th of 8 stories in BM
~ Robert J. McCaig, “Trouble on Circuit 13”, ‘Marty Cullane, telephone lineman’, author’s sole appearance in BM
~ Robinson MacLean, “Somebody for the Wolves”, ‘Eddie O’Meara, shoestring Hollywood producer’, author’s only appearance in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[cover updated 1/29/26]

cover art by Rafael DeSoto
better image than previously posted
~ Dale Clark, “Heavenly Homicide”, 27th of 28 with house dick Mike O’Hanna, at San Alpa Resort hotel, 31st of 32 stories in BM
~ William Campbell Gault, “The Cold, Cold Ground”, 2nd of 5 with Mortimer Jones, 2nd of 9 stories in BM
~ Julius Long, “I Remember Murder”, 15th of 17 stories with ’Ben Corbett, D.A.’s chief investigator, 1st -person narrator’, 20th of 23 stories in BM
~ Donn Mullally, “The Corpse I Left Behind Me”, ’Martin Fowler in Hollywood’, 1st of 2 stories in BM
~ William Rough, “Hot Ice”, ‘Ben Slabbe, p.i., who has his own agency; last of 5 capers’ in BM
~ Donegan Wiggins, “The Double-Cross”, ‘brief-brief’, author’s only appearance in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

[UK cover added 5/16/25]