Here is a frustrating situation. Having read and enjoyed 42
DAYS FOR MURDER by Roger Torrey, I want to read more by him.
This was his only novel but he was a Black Mask regular.
Indeed, checking E.R. Hagemann's index to Black Mask, Torrey
has fifty appearances listed from his debut in the January
1933 issue to his final appearance in April 1942. Not only
that but four of the stories published in 1937-38 feature
private eye Shean Connell. Having loved 42 DAYS, I very much
want to read these other Connell adventures. Unfortunately,
to the best of my knowledge none of the four have
reprinted.
In fact, Torrey is one of the least reprinted Black Mask
regulars. Joseph Shaw did choose a Torrey story for his
historic THE HARD-BOILED OMNIBUS
(Simon and Schuster 1946). It was "Clean Sweep" from the
February 1934 issue. I scratched around among the other
likely anthologies on hand but came up dry. I had a moment of
excitement when I spotted the Torrey byline in Maxim
Jakubowski's PULP ACTION but it turned out to be another
reprint of
"Clean Sweep."
I suspect the problem is that the issues of Black Mask are
too rare for much delving by anthologists. Too often they
rely on what has been reprinted before by Fred Dannay in
Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and certainly by Shaw in his
anthology and Ron Goulart in HARD-BOILED DICKS. As Torrey
apparently died before the mushrooming of paperback reprints
and didn't leave a widow or family to prod an agent, his
stories are lost in those old issues. Perhaps they are
lacking in quality but somehow I doubt that given the number
of appearances in a magazine tough to crack like Black
Mask.
It is possible to seek out those issues but it would take
time and more money than I am willing to invest in the
effort. One issue from 1937 for sale on ABE Books is going
for $150.00. I imagine an issue of Black Mask that also
contains a Chandler story would go for even more. Unlike
science fiction and fantasy, collectors came late to mystery
fiction with some exceptions like Fred Dannay. While not
common, there were a reasonable number of complete sets of
Weird Tales accumulated through the years. This didn't happen
with Black Mask and to collect a complete run of the 340
issues of Black Mask at this late date would require a huge
financial investment.
I can only hope that the popularity of hard-boiled fiction
from the old school will continue to increase and make it
worthwhile for someone to go in and mine the gold in those
rare issues.
Richard Moore
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