Last week, we read how Joe Shaw joined Black Mask and changed it; this week, I’m reviewing the February 1927 issue, from the first year of Joe Shaw’s editorial reign. At this point the magazine hadn’t developed into the 100% pure hard-boiled version it became later. Westerns, detective and adventure stories were promised by the… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 8: February 1927, Hammett’s back
Category: Detective
Secrets of the Mask, part 7: Shaw spells success
Last week, we found Phil Cody looking for an editor. He found the right man. Joseph T. “Cap” Shaw always wanted to be a writer and editor. He was editor of his college newspaper and a track athlete. After graduation, he became a reporter and then worked at a publishing company before joining a textile… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 7: Shaw spells success
Secrets of the Mask, part 6: Unmasking Cody
A little help from my friends Last week, I was able to review an issue of Black Mask from 1925 in the middle of Phil Cody’s editorial reign. Before that happened, I could only guess at his editorial direction from looking at the covers and the tables of contents. Cody came in after George W.… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 6: Unmasking Cody
Secrets of the Mask, part 5: Cody and his gunslingers
When Sutton left, Phil Cody, the circulation manager, was asked to take over the magazine. How did he do? Read on and find out. Philip Camp Cody, son of lawyer Frank and homemaker Mary Cody of Philadelphia, PA was born in 1887. He graduated from UPenn in 1908, and while I’m sure the yearbook for… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 5: Cody and his gunslingers
Secrets of the Mask, part 4 – Sutton Changes
Last week, we read about the changes in the magazine’s staff when Florence M. Osborne, the first editor, left. This is an exciting moment.I’m reading an issue from George W. Sutton Jr.’s time at Black Mask. Never thought I’d find one. But when you have the right friends, amazing things can happen. And they do,… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 4 – Sutton Changes
Secrets of the Mask, part 3: Sutton, who?
George W. Sutton Jr. was brought in to replace Florence M. Osborne. How did that happen? George W. Sutton Jr. (really George W. Sutton III) was the scion of a Long Island family of considerable wealth and influence. His grandfather, George W. Sutton, was a silk trader and importer who bought a twenty acre estate… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 3: Sutton, who?
Secrets of the Mask, part 2: The August 1922 issue
Last week, we saw how Black Mask started and how the first editor, Florence May Osborne, left after two years with the magazine. This week we’ll take a look at one of the issues she edited (August 1922) and see what the quality of the magazine was. The issue we’re reviewing is one issue before… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 2: The August 1922 issue
Secrets of the Mask, part 1- In the beginning
A recent rummage through some boxes turned up two copies of Black Mask, and I started reading them. One was from the thirties, another from the forties. I thought it might be interesting to review a few issues to see the difference in editors as the magazine changed. As I did that, I found some… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 1- In the beginning
Ten crimes for your dime: Ten Detective Aces, Feb 1935 (free at Archive.org)
This New Year, I made a resolution to live healthy. That resolution includes a commitment to a regular intake of pulpy goodness. This month’s pick-me-up is a 1930s issue of Ten Detective Aces, a magazine started by Harold Hersey before being bought by A. A. Wyn. Its gimmicks were ten stories every issue, all complete,… Continue reading Ten crimes for your dime: Ten Detective Aces, Feb 1935 (free at Archive.org)
Crime Poetry
I’ve encountered many poems in the western and general fiction pulps. This was the first one I’ve seen from the crime pulps. The author, C. Wiles Hallock, contributed more than 200 poems to the pulps, with 70 of them appearing in the detective magazines. CRIME CONTAGIONBy C. WILES HALLOCK WELLINGTON WEATHERBY BENDEMEER BLAKEWoke in the… Continue reading Crime Poetry