
cover art by H.L. Parkhurst
better image than previously posted
cover altered/updated for May 1939 issue of Private Detective Stories


cover art by H.L. Parkhurst
better image than previously posted
cover altered/updated for May 1939 issue of Private Detective Stories


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 Edgar A. Whitney
better image than previously posted
~ Dwight V. Babcock, “Murder on the Gayway”, 6th of 7 Beeker stories, ‘SF World’s Fair, Treasure Island Nude Ranch’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 20th of 21 stories in BM
~ William Cole, “Waiting for Rusty”, ‘short-short’, only appearance in BM
~ Tiah Devitt, “The Haunted Inn”, last of 2 stories in BM
~ Mark Harper, “Death Rides Double”, ‘motorcycle cop’, pseudonym of Joseph T. Shaw, editor of BM, only fiction to appear under this name in the magazine
~ Fred Hodgkins, “Strangle-Hold”, 2nd of 3 stories in BM
~ C.S. Montanye (Carleton Stevens), “Moron’s Holiday”, last of 29 stories in BM
~ Roger Torrey, “Kill That Witness”, ‘12th (of 14) in Pat McCarthy series, with Marge Chalmers often his “sidekick”; he is ex-NYC cop, ex-agency man (Chicago & St. Louis) who dislikes cops’, 39th of 50 appearances in BM
~ Cornell Woolrich, “Collared”, ‘see p.31 for letter from CW on this story’, 14th of 24 (22 original) stories to appear in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

better image than previously posted
cover art by Rafael DeSoto
~ Wyatt Blassingame, “10,001 Motives for Murder”, 2nd of 6 stories with The Bishop, political writer on a Southern newspaper, 60ish and peg-legged, 4th of 8 stories in BM
~ George Harmon Coxe, “Case and the Blonde Wren”, 19th of 25 with Flashgun Casey; ‘Wren = Women’s Royal Naval Service officer’, 23rd of 29 stories in BM
~ G.T. Fleming-Roberts, “Rats Breed Rats”, ‘Detective Sergeant Bill Teed, tough cop, & Pop Walter, sentimental reporter’, 1st of 8 stories in BM
~ Eaton K. Goldthwaite, “The Frame Didn’t Fit”, ‘Duke Brian & Franny Steinmetz, ‘ex-felons from Philly’, now private dicks, more or less, Brian narrates’, 1st of 5 stories in BM
~ John Graham, “Too Tough”, ‘Vic Smail, kidnapper’, 2nd of 2 stories in BM
~ Charles E. Jestings, “Jim Gregg: A Prison Poem”, 2nd of 2 stories in BM
~ Stewart Sterling (pseud. of Prentice Winchell), “Ten Carats of Lead”, 1st of 9 stories with ‘Special Squad (pawnshop detail), NYPD, & Det. Mike Hansard’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 4th of 12 stories
~ Roger Torrey, “Murder – For No Reason”, ‘debut of Bryant (4 stories), a regular U.S. Army man, who works in a CCC camp; 1st-person narrator’, 46th of 50 appearances in BM
©Seattle Mystery Bookshop
