Tag: Detective

Explore Australia with Arthur Upfield’s Boney, the First Australian Detective

In 1929, British-born Australian Arthur Upfield(1890-1964) wrote and published his second book, The Barrakee Mystery. Published first in England by Hutchinson, the book was originally written in the 1920s, when Upfield was working as a cook in the Australian Outback. Twice rewritten and substantially altered, the book had good reviews in London, Manchester and in… Continue reading Explore Australia with Arthur Upfield’s Boney, the First Australian Detective

Flappers, Cowboys, Slabbing and your guides to the pulp world

Recently, a reader of this blog reached out to me and asked for suggestions for pulp authors to read, having exhausted this blog. Part of this blog is for him and other passers-by. But first, the flappers Flappers A review of the book: Cowboys Louis L’Amour takes a look back on the history and mythology… Continue reading Flappers, Cowboys, Slabbing and your guides to the pulp world

Secrets of the Mask, part 20: The latest Avatar

Now we come to the latest avatar of Black Mask, as a magazine this time. Published by Steeger Books, the first issue came out in 2016 and the latest, the fifth, in 2019. Put out by Matt Moring at what was then Altus Press and has now become Steeger Books, it came in a very… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 20: The latest Avatar

Secrets of the Mask, part 19: By the Book

Last week, we read about Keith Alan Deutsch’s attempt to revive Black Mask in 1974. That failed after one issue. The 1985 revival, as an anthology book, was much better. Let’s find out how that happened. The Unusual Suspects Bear with me while I make the introductions. I promise they’ll connect later. William I. Jovanovich(1920-2001)… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 19: By the Book

Secrets of the Mask, part 18: Reappearance

The last issue of Black Mask we saw was published in 1951, soon after which the magazine ceased to appear, till its sudden reappearance in 1974. Let’s find out how. After the decline of its pulp empire in the 1950s, Popular Publications published a much smaller group of magazines. Argosy was a slick men’s magazine… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 18: Reappearance

Secrets of the Mask, part 17: Last Legs

Earlier in this series of Black Mask reviews, we took a look at issues from the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Here’s one from 1951 when the whole industry was on its last legs and most titles were only a few issues away from sudden death. The first thing you see is the logo, unrecognizably… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 17: Last Legs

Secrets of the Mask, part 16: Sex appeal

Last week we saw Harry Widmer took over Black Mask after Ken White left. He changed the look of the magazine, but were there changes in the content to appeal to a new audience and if so, what were they? Let’s find out by examining the January 1950 issue. Sex appeal The cover harks back… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 16: Sex appeal

Secrets of the Mask, part 15: Ace Editor

With Ken White’s departure, the magazine was edited by Harry Widmer who had previously worked at Ace (1904-1970). Widmer is a man of mystery; one of those editors whose contributions to the pulps are unrecognized even by most pulp fans. He grew up in New York, I couldn’t find out anything about his childhood and… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 15: Ace Editor

Secrets of the Mask, part 14: The new hard-boiled

Last week, we saw Popular Publications was struggling to make money on Black Mask at the fifteen cent price point in 1946. How could they make it work? In May 1946, Black Mask went to publishing every other month, a sure sign of trouble. Detective Fiction Weekly had stopped publication in 1944. Dime Detective was… Continue reading Secrets of the Mask, part 14: The new hard-boiled