raoul whitfield – SMB Noir

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), 39^th of 45 stories in BM

~ Horace McCoy, “The Little Black Book”, 4th of 14 Frost stories with ‘Capt. Jerry Frost, Texas (Air) Ranger’, 5^th 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, 36^th of 67 stories in BM [see also 24 stories as Ramon Decolta]

better image than previously posted

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

November 1926

cover art by Henry C. Murphy

~ Carroll John Daly, “Half-Breed”, 16^th 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), 19^th of 99 stories in BM

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

~ Don Livingston, “The Awakening of Bash Langley”, ‘modern-day Western’, 1^st 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]

better image than previously posted

April 1951 issue

April 1951

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”, 16^th of 23 with Macnamara (Mac), NYPD 1^st grade dick, ‘small-time crook develops into killer’, 27^th 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”, 1^st 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).

[updated 6/4/24]

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.