Category: Stories

On account of a woman – short story by Theodore Roscoe

This short story by Theodore Roscoe originally appeared in the January, 1936 issue of Adventure. It’s set in the Middle East, and is similar in structure to the Thibaud Corday stories. The ending is different though. Two companions are working in the Middle East when they come across a very striking statue of a woman. They steal it away from the… Continue reading On account of a woman – short story by Theodore Roscoe

The Seal of Jenghis Khan – short story by H. Bedford-Jones

H. Bedford-Jones was the King of the Pulps before Erle Stanley Gardner took over, writing more than a million words of fiction a year. The Seal of Jenghis Khan is fairly typical of his writing style, building a story on historical fact and lore around the legendary Genghis Khan.  The Seal of Jenghis Khan… Continue reading The Seal of Jenghis Khan – short story by H. Bedford-Jones

The Admiral – short story by S.B.H. Hurst

An interesting short story set in India (and it mentions some places I’ve lived in), from the pages of Adventure, November 30, 1925. S.B.H. Hurst, the author, had visited India earlier as a sailor and the local color is correct.  The Admiral – short story by S.B.H. Hurst Download the story here.

Compound Interest – short story by Hugh Pendexter

Here’s a funny story from Hugh Pendexter that originally appeared in the March 15, 1933 issue of Adventure. This is the story that prompted me to find out more about Pendexter and start the blog. Justice can be delayed, but not denied – as a railway lawyer finds out. Download the story here.

Of Deadly Weapons – a Caradosso short story by F.R. Buckley

This short story by F.R. Buckley appeared in the April, 1947 issue of Adventure. I like this series very much and this is a typical entry – Caradosso offers advice to the new Duke about an alchemist who is selling the duke a super-explosive. As usual, Caradosso has his tongue firmly in cheek and his… Continue reading Of Deadly Weapons – a Caradosso short story by F.R. Buckley

Review of the Pirates of the Pines by A.M. Chisholm

Treasure Island was a very successful book in 1883, gaining critical acclaim and popularity for its author, R.L. Stevenson, who until then had not been successful. It is still in print today, and has never been out of print since its first appearance in print. Stevenson tells a rousing story of a boy becoming a… Continue reading Review of the Pirates of the Pines by A.M. Chisholm

Two Harold Lamb stories – Samples from University of Nebraska Press

  Two short stories from Harold Lamb for your reading pleasure. These stories are excerpts from the Harold Lamb collections, Swords from the Sea and Swords from the East, published by University of Nebraska Press. They also contain the introductions to these collections, so if you want to know more about them before buying, here’s… Continue reading Two Harold Lamb stories – Samples from University of Nebraska Press

Black Mask – recent reprints

 Recently, I’ve been seeing an increasing number of reprints from Black Mask, the hard-boiled crime fiction magazine magazine. Black Mask was the magazine that first published authors like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, the creators of the American private eye story. Otto Penzler, the editor of the Black Mask series of reprints, talks about it… Continue reading Black Mask – recent reprints