March 1938 British edition ~ cover art by Raymond S. Pease

March 1938 British edition

cover art by Raymond S. Pease

contents same as US issue:

~ Max Brand, “The Silent Witness”, short-short, 2nd of 2 BM stories

~ Joseph Csida, “Bank Night Kill”, ‘narrated by a “contest dick”, 1st of 2 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “You’ll Always Remember Me”, ‘young punk murderer; psychopathic narrator’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps (Vintage, 2007), 4th of 9 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “Dog Show Murder”, 4th of 10 with ‘Oliver Quade, The Human Encyclopedia’, reprinted in The Hardboiled Dicks (1965), 5th of 14 stories in BM

~ H.H. Stinson, “Three Apes from the East”, ‘Kerry Thorne, detective in L.A.’, reprinted in The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories (Vintage, 2010), 8th of 27 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

February 1939 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

February 1939 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

~ W.T. Ballard, “No Parole from Death”, 20th of 27 stories with ‘Bill Lennox, troubleshooter for Consolidated Films’, 31st of 43 stories in BM

~ Dale Clark, “Death Watch”, Scotland Yard undercover man Carr, politics and murder, 2nd of 32 stories in BM

~ Frederick C. Davis, “Tonight I Must Die”, 7th of 16 stories in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “Flight to Paris”, 8th of 9 stories in BM

~ Frank Gruber, “State Fair Murder”, 7th of 10 with‘Oliver Quade, The Human Encyclopedia’, 10th of 14 stories in BM

~ K. Webster, “Underwater Kill”, ‘cop goes under sea-surface to nab his man’, 1st of 3 stories in BM

~ Edward S. Williams, “Deadly Secret”, ‘Rex Flynn, private dick’, 4th of 8 appearances in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop

November 1937 issue

November 1937

The first issue of this title includes stories by Walter B. Gibson (“Norgil”, the first appearance of “Norgil the Magician”), Lester Dent (the first appearance of “Click Rush the Gadget Man”), and Theodore Tinsley (the first appearance of “Carrie Cashin”, featured on the issue’s photo cover).

better image than previously posted

January 1939 issue ~ cover art by James Lunnon

January 1939 issue

cover art by James Lunnon

better image than previously posted

~ James Duncan, “Murder for Pennies”, last of 5 stories with The Parson, who lives on a ‘mythical’ (fictional?) isle, Cariba, reprinted in Murder for Pennies: The Complete Black Mask Cases of the Parson (Steeger, 2024), last of 10 appearances in BM

~ Steve Fisher, “Jake and Jill”, ‘Honolulu setting’, 7th of 9 stories in BM

~ Jackson Gregory, “Dusty Death”, 1st of 2 stories in BM, this the only original one (see 5/1951)

~ H.W. Guernsey, “A Thousand Iron Men”, ‘iron men’ = $1 bill’, 3rd of 4 stories in BM

~ Eric Howard, “The Doc and the Dame”, last of 6 stories in BM

~ Baynard H(ardwick) Kendrick, “Arson”, 9th of 14 stories with Mikes Standish (Stan) Rice, ‘The Hungry’[?], all set in Florida, ‘see p. 63 for note by BHK on story’

~ H.H. Stinson, “All-American Menace”, 10th of 27 stories in BM

©Seattle Mystery Bookshop