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

Further Notes on James Corbett: a tribute to William Deeck

James Corbett fans, rejoice. A cornucopia of Corbett’s books are now listed on EBay and an autographed copy of The Merrivale Mystery sold yesterday for $261. They were the pride and joy of someone’s collection; and if you aren’t careful that someone could soon be you. Books by James Corbett listed on EBay You haven’t… Continue reading Further Notes on James Corbett: a tribute to William Deeck

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A Damon Gaunt mystery – Eyes that saw not

Continued from last week’s post on Isabel Ostrander, the creator of the blind detective Damon Gaunt Unlike Thornley Colton, who displayed his skills in a number of novella length tales before getting into a novel-length adventure, Damon Gaunt’s first appearance is in a serialized novel. Because of the bigger  scope of the novel, he doesn’t… Continue reading A Damon Gaunt mystery – Eyes that saw not

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Categorized as Detective

The first blind detective in modern English fiction

October is Blindness Awareness Month when the National Federation for the Blind (NFB), holds outreach activities to create opportunities for people to meet blind people living in their communities and to realize that blind people are vital contributing members of society. My small contribution to this is to get you to meet the earliest blind… Continue reading The first blind detective in modern English fiction

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Categorized as Detective