My Want List

I have a number of rather large literary projects on the go, both with members of the Editorial Board and with individuals whom I have encountered on the World Wid Web, a truly fascinating mechanism to meet and correspond with people without the involvement of Canada Post or it’s counterparts in other nations. There surely must be a time when these organizatons must go the equivalent of bankrupt, and their service doesn’t improve with age either! In the process of creating a book, or books, I need content; I cannot create an omelette without eggs, the same way a creative writer does. Hence for each project I have a want list of stories, books, magazine appearances, newspaper appearances and or digest appearances. I shall endeavour to list them here by author. This blog entry is a work in progress, and I shall emend and update it, as well as link to it in the future. I shall be eternally grateful, as well as pleased to reimburse the reader for out-of-pocket expenses for any items on these lists that can be supplied, either by e-mail attachment or by the equivalent of that dinosaur Canada Post alluded to above.

Greye La Spina: (collaborating with J-P Gervais and Robert Weinberg for The Gargoyle and Others,The Compleat Greye La Spina) The Balkan Girdle, Action Stories Magazine, April 1922; The Broken Idol (as “by Isra Putnam”) The Thrill Book March 15, 1919; The Miser’s Stategem, Thrill Book, March 15, 1919; In the Fable’s Heart (as Baroness di Savuto) Top-Notch Magazine, Oct 15, 1918; Love Across the Ages, Metropolitan Magazine, May 1923; The Promise (vi), Parisienne Monthly Magazine, May 1919; On Scaring Oneself into Conniptions,(ar) Science Fantasy Correspondent Jan-Feb 1937; Popular Venetian Crochet, McCall’s Magazine, August 1915; Sacrificed for Love, Telling Tales Magazine, April 1922

“Wainwright T. Morton and McGarvey” by Donald Barr Chidsey: The Carrion Clue(Dime Detective Magazine Mar 15 1935); The Scar Clue (Dime Detective Magazine June 15, 1935); Once Too Often (Detective Fiction Weekly April 29 1939); The Jawbones of Nightmare Swamp (Detective Fiction Weekly Apr 5 1941)

Jack Boyle:(collaborating with Curt Ladnier for The Compleat Boston Blackie Stories) An Answer in Grand Larceny (The Red Book Magazine, January 1919) The Daughter of Mother McGinn(Cosmopolitan Magazine, June 1919) Alias Prince Charming (Cosmopolitan Magazine, July 1919) Black Dan(Cosmopolitan Magazine, October 1919) The Face in the Fog (Cosmopolitan Magazine, May 1920)

Henry St. Clair Whitehead: Mechanics of Revision (Writer’s Digest, September 1927); The Project Method (Date unknown); The Occult Story (The Free-Lance Writer’s Annual, 1927)

Fraklin H. Martin: (in collaboration with Edward Agnew for WWI Air Adventure Stories) Lone Eagle (Aces, September 1932); The Cloud Crasher (Wings, August 1932); Dealers in Death (Wings, October1934); God Help the Hun (Wings, January 1935); Song of the Eagle (War Birds, June 1937)

Frederick Nebel:  (in collaboration with Edward Agnew for WWI Air Adventure Stories) Skyrocket Scott (Wings, March 1928); Birdmen of Borneo (Air Stories, September 1927); Bolt From the Blue (Air Stories, October 1928); High-Flying Highbinders (Air Stories, March 1930); South of Saigon (Air Stories, June 1930); Boomerang Barnes (Air Adventures, January 1929); The Scourge of the South Seas (Flying Stories, 3 parts, September–November 1929).

Raoul Whitfield: (in collaboration with Edward Agnew for WWI Air Adventure Stories) The want list consist of 54 stories, instead of an individual list, here is a link to the web page where the entire table of contents can be reviewed and the wanted pulps are highlighted in red.http://www.batteredbox.com/LostTreasures/57-WWIWhitfield.htm

Nctzin Dyalhis:  (In collaboration with Robert Weinberg for The Nictzin Dyalhis Portfolio) The Whirling Machete (Underworld, December 1933)

August Derleth: (In collaboration with Robert Weinberg for a new short story collection) A Man’s Conscience (Life StoryMarch 1945); Phantom Lights (Fantasy Fan May 1934); The Splinter (Tryout March 1927)

E. A. Apple: (In collaboration with Randy Vanderbeek for The E.A. Apple Omnibus Voume 4) Hop Joint (Detective Story Magazine, Volume 121, #6 – September 27, 1930)

Michael Harrison: (in collaboration with John Michael Gibson for The Compleat Adventures of Chevalier Dupin) The Curious Illusions of General Hérouard: The Affair of the Mutton-fat Bowl; The Facts in the Case of the Banker’s Daguerrotype; The Peripatetic Numismatists; The Vampire of the rue du Bouloy; The Monster of Saint-Hillaire; A Major in the Aerial Army; Indiscretions of a Duchess; The Explosion in the rue Richelieu (Mazarine); The Financier of the rue du Four or The Banker of the rue Palantine.

Seabury Quinn: (In collaboration with Gene Christie from The Case Files of Major Sturdevant) The Washington Nights’ Entertainment: No. 2 Not seen? When V3#4; The Washington Nights’ Entertainment: V4#1; The Washington Nights’ Entertainment: V4#2; The Washington Nights’ Entertainment: No. 3 Not seen; “The Shrine of Seven Lamps” Real Detective Tales, V5#2 (September-October 1924; “No. 9. Voodoo” Real Detective Tales, V5#3 (November 1924)

Baroness Emmuska Oczy: The Miser of Maida Vale (Doran, 1925)

Adventure Fiction Index Wants (For Philip Stephensen-Payne)
======================

• ACTION NOVELS: Oct-1929
• ADVENTURE NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES: any except Jul-1937, Apr-1939, Dec-1939
• ADVENTURES OF THE SEA DEVIL: 1932 (only issue)
• AIR ADVENTURES: Nov-1945
• AIRPLANE STORIES: Mar-1930, Nov-1930, Jan-1931
• ARMY ROMANCES: any except Spring 1946 & Autumn 1946
• AVIATION STORIES: Jul-1930
• CANADIAN WAR STORIES: any except Jun-1929; 1-Oct-1929; 15-Oct-1929
• EAGLES OF THE AIR: Oct-1930
• EXCITING NAVY STORIES: all after Winter 1942
• FIFTH COLUMN STORIES: Aug-1940
• FIVE-CENT ADVENTURES: any issues
• FIVE-CENT FLYING STORIES: any issues
• FLIGHT: any except Oct-1929
• FLYING ACES: Sep-1928, Jan-1929, Feb-1929, Jun-1929, Nov/Dec-1929, Apr-1930, May-1930, Jun-1930, Dec-1931
• FLYING STORIES: Jul-1930
• FOREIGN SERVICE: any issues
• GEORGE BRUCE’S CONTACT: Jan-1934
• GEORGE BRUCE’S SKY FIGHTERS: any issues
• LUCKY STORIES: Jan-1930
• MOVIE ADVENTURES: Dec-1924
• MOVIE THRILLERS: any except May-1925
• NAVY ROMANCES: any except Spring 1946
• PRIZE AIR PILOT STORIES: Nov-1929; Jan-1930
• RAF ACES: Fall 1943 & Summer 1944
• RAPID-FIRE ACTION STORIES: any issues
• SAUCY MOVIE TALES: Jul-1937, Sep-1937, Oct-1937, any after Jan/Feb-1938
• SCARLET ADVENTURESS: Feb-1936
• SEA STORIES: any after Nov-1953
• SEA STORY ANNUAL: 1943 issue
• SECRET SERVICE STORIES: Oct-1928
• SKY BIRDS: Aug-1930
• SKY-HIGH LIBRARY MAGAZINE: Feb-1930 (and any other issues)
• SKY RAIDERS: Dec-1943, Summer 1944
• SPICY MOVIE TALES: any issues
• TALES OF ADVENTURE: Jul-1930, Sep-1930
• 10 ACTION ADVENTURES: Jan-1939 (and any other issues)
• THREE STAR MAGAZINE/STORIES: most issues
• THRILLING STORIES: all except Dec-1929
• THRILLS: any 1925 issues, Aug-1927
• 12 ADVENTURE STORIES: Aug-1939
• VARIETY STORY MAGAZINE: Jul-1938, Oct-1938
• WAR STORIES: Apr-1927, Jul-1927, May-1932
• WAR STORIES MAGAZINE: Jul-1953
• WILD GAME STORIES: May/Jun-1926, Jul/Aug-1926
• WINGS: Dec-1928, May-1931, Jun-1931, Jul-1931, Sep-1931
• WORLD WAR STORIES: any issues
• ZEPPELIN STORIES: May-1929

Crime Fiction Index Wants (For Philip Stephensen-Payne)
===================

• Amazing Detective Stories: Mar-1931
• Black Bat Detective Mysteries: Jan-1934
• Cabaret Stories: Nov-1928; Feb-1929
• Detective and Murder Mysteries: Jan-1938; any issues between Jun-1935 & Sep-1936
• Detective Tales: Nov-1923
• Detective Yarns: Vol 2 #3
• Gun Molls Magazine: Mar-1931
• Midnight Mystery Stories: 20-Jan-1923; 27-Jan-1923; 3-Feb-1923
• Movie Detective: Feb-1942
• Murder Mysteries: Aug-1929; May-1935
• Murder Stories: Nov/Dec-1931
• Mystery Magazine: May-1927
• Off Beat Detective Stories: Mar-1963
• Real Detective Tales: Jul-1924; Aug-1924; Sep/Oct-1924; Dec-1924
• Scarlet Gang Smashers: Jun-1936
• True Gang Life: Jun-1935; Nov-1936; Jan-1937; Mar-1938; Jun-1938
• The Underworld: 20-Oct-1927
• The Underworld Magazine: May-1929

 

Bookmarks for 2011

I borrowed a couple of books from Robert Weinberg of Virgil Findlay’s illustations. I thought there would be something there to create new bookmarks — perhaps 4 per year? — and I was not disappointed. I plan to use them as premiums for book purchases from The Battered Silicon Dispatch Box, and they will have a limited run changing every year.

In the process, I had the idea to share the two volumes with my friend John Robert Colombo, because he was in the process of republishing a volume of Supernatural Stories by Canadian authors titled “Not to be Taken at Night.” which will appear later this year. JRC found a number of suitable illustrations for the cover, and the one we decided on “The NIght Road.” Now this story was originally drawn to illustrate the story by August Derleth which appeared in the Weird Tales, May 1952. The story was subsequently collected in Dwellers in Darkness (1976, Arkham House) and again in Volume 2 of The Macabre Quarto in 2009. the the illustration was not included; in hind sight it would have been a good idea to collect all the original magazine illustrations fromt he magazine appearances for the stories in the Macabre Quarto; hind sight is always clearer than foresight! I also selected a striking image for the back cover titled “Other Worlds.”

On the facing page of the Virgil Fndlay volume was another illustration for “Sexton, Sexton, On the Wall” a story by August Derleth which appeared in Weird Tales, January 1953. this story subsequently appeared in Lonesone Places (1966, Akrham House) without an illustration.

Now I pose the quetion — How many other times did Virgil Finlay illustrate the work of August Derleth, and I will leave the answer to the readers of this post, and invite dialogue. I know VF illustrated “Roads” but although that was an Arkham House publication in 1948, it was written by Seabury Quinn.

I attach all three illustrations by VIrgil FInlay, as additiional eye candy for the reader.

The Night Road

“Sexton, Sexton, on the Wall”

Other Worlds

 

The Real John Wyndham

In the cupboard at The Place of Hawks there was also a manuscript with accompanying correspondence titled TIME TO REST by John Beynon. I have to admit I didn’t know what I was looking at but after consulting Sixty Years of Arkham House, here’s the scoop: John Beynon Harris of 22 Bedford Place. London, W.C.1– MUSeum 2161 submitted this story to August Derelth on September 3, 1948. It was accepted and was subsequently published in The Arkham Sampler Volume 2, No. 1 Winter 1949. The manuscript was bound in blue card with dark blue ribbon and consisted of 24 typed pages. The manuscript and correspondence is reproduced below. The author — John Beynon Harris (note his signature) is better known in fiction by his pseudonym JOHN WYNDHAM. Interesting historical footnote to The Arkham Sampler!

 

 

cardboard what-cha-ma-call-its?

The four items pictured below came from that pile of comic strip ephemera in a cupboard in the home of August Derleth that is, at The Place of Hawks in Sauk City, Wisconsin. They are 5″ x 5″ pink cardboard ads for comic strips to be used as advertisement to be run in the Newspapers before the comic actually appeared in the Sunday section. I am told they are quite collectible and rare, but the name associated with them is so far lost on me. The first three are for Toonerville Folks 11-27, 11-28 and 11-30. They appear to have been created by F. Rox for the McNaught Syndicate, Inc. The fourth (5″ X 7″) appears to be an add for “Cordell Hull” a strip for TRUE COMICS. There appears to be a space left for “name of newspaper” in the bottom right column.

 

The Last Case of Dr. Jules de G.

 My colleague Christopher Worthington sent me this story. It first appeared in Fantastic Adventures in April 1943. It was an interesting read, a sympathetic parody of the team of detectives that investigated the supernatural in Weird Tales in 93 episodes between the 1920s and the 1950s all composed by Seabury Quinn. Having read it, I didn’t know quite what to do with it, so decided it will eventually appear in The Arkham Archives, which is a proposed periodic publication to disseminate all items related to Arkham publications. The Phantom Fighter (1966) by Seabury Quinn was published with an M&M logo

                                                                                 The Last Case of JdeG

 

Who is Sir Edward Leithen?

 I first met John Robert Colombo, many years ago now; If I had to guess it would be 2003. I was hot on the trail of Thomas Patick Kelley a Toronto based Pulp story writer from the 1940′s and 1950′s, and he proved most helpful. We subsequently met with the granddaughter of Kelly’s landlady, and we are still working on a deal. Since Kelley died in 1982 nothing can be published without permission. Kelley had some interesting stories published in Weird Tales which would be worth republishing, but then again, permission would be needed. John Robert and I were sitting in his living-room discussing strategy, and John asked what other authors I was interested in, and I replied Stephen Leacock and John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir. And so a couple of years later here is the John Buchan project as it currently stands. There are five volumes in the project:

The Complete Adventures of Richard Hannay Vol. 1 (Buchan) ISBN 978-1-55246-???-?

Adventures of Mr. Dickson McCunn and Other Swashbucklers Vol. 3 (Buchan) ISBN 978-1-55246-???-?

The Historical Novels Vol. 4 (Buchan) ISBN 978-1-55246-???-?

Memory Hold-The-Door and Other Essays Vol. 5 (Buchan) ISBN 978-1-55246-???-? @

The Saga of Sir Edward Leithen

Volume 2. By John Buchan, with an introduction and essay by John Robert Colombo, Hard Cover Folio 390 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-560-8 @$75.00

 

“Dear Trixie” by Lisa Hammer

Dear Trixie

by Lisa Hammer)TPB 200 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-939-2 @ $20.00

 

Twelve Ghostly Tales by Estrid Balslev

 

Early in 2010, I received a manuscript of ghost stories in Danish from an enthusiastic member of The August Derleth Society, one Estrid Balslev. Although I couldn’t understand a work of it, I suggested to the author in an e-mail, that if she translated it into English, I would submit to the editorial board — The Sacred Six for consideration. The English translation arrived a couple of weeks ago as an E-mail attachment. John Robert Colombo has reviewed the manuscript for esl’s (English as Second Language) and this process is now complete. Estrid’s colleage Neils Reiter has send along a proposed cover illustration and here it is. Patricia Visneskie has almost completed the cover, and the text is ready to go to press. I am waiting for CIP data from Ottawa.

Twelve Ghostly Tales

by Estrid Balslev. Cover photographs by Neils Reiter. Trade Paperback 136 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-948-4 @ $20.00

 

Sherlock Holmes six-pack from the Battered Box in 2011

Victorian Holmes 

by Michael Duke TPB 232 pp. ISBN 9781-55246-940-8 @ $24.00

This is a collection of Sherlock Holmes scholarship from Australia. It went to press last week, and I am about to view the proposed cover. The art work for the cover was created by Tom Roberts of Black Dog Books. It might benefit from an Index, but the Table of Contents will have to suffice.

Thinking Outside the Tin Dispatch-Box

 by William R. Cochran, Trade Paperback 160 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-941-5 @ $20.00

This is book of Sherlockian scholarship. Many of the Biblical references and footnotes are beyond my comprehension, but it is certainly thought provoking. The project is almost ready for press. Some additional illustrations by Tom Artis are on the way. With a little luck and coordination this book will launch at The ACD/Sherlock Holmes Symposium in Dayton Ohio on 13-15 May 2011. Check Ron Fish’s Sherlock Holmes Calendar website for details.

The Compleat Adventures of Picklock Holes

by Rudolf Chambers Lehmann, Trade Paperback 180 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-913-2 @ 16.00

This is a small collection which collects the pastiches which are interesting and charming. Many of the stories have been collected in anthologies elsewhere. The original book illustrations are included, and a portion of one forms the cover. This will likely appear in 2011.

101 More Crossword Puzzles and Acrostixs

by Franklin Saksena 221pp. TPB ISBN 978-1-55246-879-1 @ $30.00

This is the second volume of  crossowrds and acrostixs by Franklin Saksena. This publication has been delayed for over a year since I was frustrated with the formatting of the double lines necessitated with the acrostixs. I am sure there is an easy way to do it, but I never could find it. This volumes was launched in New York City on the BSI weekend at the beginning of January. Don’t buy this unleass you already have the first one. This volume uses many of the illustrations by Paul Churchill that originally appear in the first colelction as well as the cover in maroon instead of hunter green. 

The Incident of Ak-Sar-Ben

by P. Whitney Hughes a.k.a. Hugh Whitt. Trade Paperback 200 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-920-0 @ $16.00

This story is the third in a series. The first two are The Adventure of the Two Coptic Patriarchs and The Adventure of the Victroian Vulcan. This is a four collection of short stories on the drawing board entitled The Wheat and the Chaff. I personally have never been a fan of pastiches, but I do recognize the compulsion of every Sherlockian, big and small, young and old to emulate the story telling of the Literary Agent. I even started to write one once, only to discover I can’t write my way out of a wet paper bag! The wrap around cover is a delightful interpretation by Laurie Fraser Manifold of Sherlock and Watson taking an Air Balloon ride. It is a wrap around and a delight to behold.

Under the Darkling Sky

by John E. Weber. Hard Cover and Trade paperback 392pp. with Index ISBN 978-1-55246-851-7 @ $65.00 or $40.00

This volume also rolled out in New York in January 2011. John is a Holmes and Doyle scholar who has travelled extensively in England to compile this comprehensive volume. The cover is a evocative photo of Dartmoor that the author took himself, and provides an appropriate visual image for the title. The text takes my good friend to task for his selections of canical localities. But it is all part of the game — I think!

Realms of Conjecture

By David Hammer. Soft Cover 120 pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-892-0 @$20.00

This is another volume of fact and fiction by David Hammer. He takes dead aim at some of the high profile characters in the cult (better to say hobby) David has the unique ability of expressing his opinions in words in a very engaging fashion. This ability has undoubtedly served him well in the courtrooms of Iowa over the years. I have reworked the art work of Jean Pierre Cagnat for the cover; it features Monsieur Hammer hanging by a rope impaled with various instruments of death. If you don’t like what David has to say, you will certainly enjoy the cover. The book is about to go to press, after a final proof reading by David. This project was also instrumental in another book project coming my way. In brief, David had written an essay on the demise of Richard Lancelyn Green. David had previously offered the manuscript to the Wessex Press and it was rejected based on the manuscript containing the RLG essay. When Jon Lellenberg heard that I was now considering publishing the manuscript — with the RLG essay, we (Jon and I) had a series of telephone conversations in which a law suite was alluded to more than once. I’ll spare you the details, but the results; David agreed to withdraw the essay altogether; and Mycroft and Moran published Baker Street Irregular. David also did a major rewrite of his essay on Wiggins and The Baker Street Irregulars. In my opinion, David remains highly critical of the irregular organization and I predict it will be increasing difficult for those Irregulars who are “low-bridging” it; and also increasingly easy for those irregulars who are attempting to “low-bridge” it as well.

 

Update on the Vincent Starrett Memorial Library

I started to compile The Vincent Starrett Memorial Library in 1995 shortly after I was introduced to Peter Ruber. It grew into a multi-volume work, and it is nearly completed now; there have been many forks in the road, a litany of half-truths, incompetence and duplicity which does not bear repeating. The project started with Cameron Hollyer and I searching out Vincent Starrett’s birthplace at 47 Oxford Street. There are still volumes left to complete:

V14. The Fugitive, Other Stories and the Caboose

by Vincent Starrett, with commentary by Peter Ruber. Hard Cover, 220p. ISBN 978-1-55246-116-7 @ $36.00

This is the last collection of short stories by Starrett. SOme have been collected elsewhere, and some have never been collected. There are a couple of Jimmie Lavendar stories that have been uncovered since the 4th volume of his stories went to press. I do believe there are no more, but would like to be proven wrong!

V23. Born in a Bookshop

by Vincent Starrett Hard.  Hard Cover, 318p. with Index ISBN 978-1-55246-130-3 @ price not set yet

With a new Introduction by Michael Dirda

This volume is Starrett’s autobiography. It was originally published in 1965 by The Universary of Oklahoma. I have delayed publication since Starrett noted after its publication that there was a lot of material that was never included. I have made numerous inquiries, and nothing more than an additional 35 pages has appeared, and this has been included as an appendix. This will not appear in 2011.

V24. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and Other Sherlockian Pieces

by Vincent Starrett. With an introduction by Karen Murdock. Hard Cover and TPB, 500+pp. ISBN 978-1-55246-132-7 @ Price not set yet.

This volume includes the text of the 1960 University of Chicago Press edition which was ememded by Starrett with the assistance of Michael Murphy. As originally conceived, this volume was scheduled to published last so that it could include all and any Sherlockian pieces collected from anywhere they might have appeared. I invited Karen Murdock, and she rapidly discovered that much was taken from the “Books Alive” column of The Chicago Tribune and and she went on to collect these separately and that appeared in 2010 as Sherlock Alive. The first edition cover has an extraneous apostrophe in “Book’s” and this has been removed in subsequent editions.