lester reynard – SMB Noir

December 1929 issue x 2

December 1929 issue #1

December 1929 issue #2

both better images than previously posted

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Triple Treachery”, 30th of 73 stories with Ed Jenkins, with his wife Helen Chadwick, in LA, 2nd half of story with Ramsey, from previous issue, 47th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon”, part 4 of 5 serialized parts before hardcover publication (1931), reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 38^th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Renegades of the Rio”, 3^rd of 14 stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, 4th of 17 stories in BM

~ Lester Reynard, “Saving the Double-Cross”, 4th of 5 stories in BM

~ Earl and Marion Scott, “Craleigh Comes to Life”, 2nd of 6 stories with ‘Phil Craleigh, once brilliant lawyer, now a drunk, given to bouts of reform’, 10th of 17 stories in BM as a couple

~ L.R. Sherman, “Reading Sign on the Sagebrush Kid”, Western, last of 3 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Outside”, ‘Mal Ourney; part 1 (of 5), ‘The Crime Breeders’, presented as separate stories rather than conventional serial’, pub. in hardcover in 1930 by Knopf as Green Ice, 35th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

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

October 1930 issue

better image than previously posted

cover art by J.W. Schlaikjer

~ Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Nagasaki Knives”, 2nd half of Jo Gar story, 7^th of 24 stories in BM, reprinted in West of Guam: The Complete Cases of Jo Bar (Altus Press, 2013)

~ Nels Leroy Jorgensen, “The Dark Pack”, ‘Western’, 19th of 39 stories in BM

~ James Howard Leveque, “Nigger Loon”, bayou tale, sole appearance in BM

~ James P. Olsen, “’Shot!’”, 1^st of 6 Western stories in BM

~ Lester Reynard, “Ladies Love Diamonds”, ‘San Francisco setting’, last of 5 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “Death in a Bowl”, 2nd of 3 serialized parts, ‘Ben Jardinn, Hollywood eye, & murder in Hollywood Bowl’, ‘(originally titled The Maestro Murder)’, published in hardcover in 1931 by Knopf, 42nd of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

The Black Bird

cover art by H.C. Murphy

~ Eugene Cunningham, “Bar Nuthin’, Puzzle Buster”, ‘Western;with Bar Nuthin’ is main character’, 2^nd of 14 stories in BM

~ Erle Stanley Gardner, “Hanging Friday”, 9th of 10 Bob Larkin stories, 44th of 99 stories in BM

~ Dashiell Hammett, “The Maltese Falcon”, part 1 of 5 serialized parts before hardcover publication (1931), reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 35^th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “Dirty Work”, 1^st of 14 stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 2^nd of 17 stories in BM

~ Frederick L. Nebel, “New Guns for Old”, 6th of 37 with Captain Steve MacBride and local reporter Kennedy, ‘MacBride in Richmond City without Kennedy’, reprinted in Winter Kill: Complete Cases of MacBride & Kenney, v.1 (Altus, 2013), 18 of 67 stories in BM

~ Henry Wallace Phillips, “The Pets”, 3rd Red Saunders, 6th of 12 stories in BM

~ Lester Reynard, “’He’s Give the Works’” [title as Hagemann gives it], ‘Ted Bland; airplanes’, 3rd of 5 stories in BM

~ Raoul [Fauconnier] Whitfield, “The Squeeze”, Gary Greer, 8th (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 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

It is no overstatement to claim that the publication of this issue of this magazine was a landmark event in American Literature.

While those involved with publishing the magazine would’ve known that they had something special on their hands with Hammett’s story, no one then could’ve understood the magnitude of the influence of it on everything that came since – the entire history and run of mystery fiction stems from this issue, and one could argue that all of Film Noir comes from this as well.

This issue of Black Mask, and this story, altered history.