The Health Knowledge Genre Magazines Part Five: Startling Mystery Stories

by Peter Enfantino

Part 2 of 3

No. 7 Winter 1967/68

130 pages, 50 cents

cover by Virgil Finlay

(1) The Bride of the Peacock – E. Hoffman Price

(22,500 words; from Weird Tales, August 1932)

(5) *Nice Old House – Dona Tolson (2000 words)

(2) Those Who Seek – August Derleth

(4750 words; from Weird Tales, January 1932)

(4) John Bartine’s Watch – Ambrose Bierce

(2500 words; from Can Such Things Be?)

(6) The Pet of Mrs. Lilith – Robert Barbour Johnson

(6500 words; from Mystic, January 1954)

(3) The Man Who Chained the Lightning – Paul Ernst

(11,750 words; from Weird Tales, September 1935)

Notes: On The Editor’s Page, Robert A. W. Lowndes announces that they are finally taking subscription orders for SMS. “The Bride of the Peacock" features E. Hoffman Price’s Pierre D’Artois character, “a Frenchman who seems to have a propensity for getting involved with Devil worshippers of the Persian variety” according to RAWL. The story is illustrated by T. Wyatt Nelson. “Those Who Seek” is illustrated by Joseph Doolin. In his intro to “The Man Who Chained…”, RAWL explains why Farnsworth Wright ran the Doctor Satan series in Weird Tales. In The Cauldron, RAWL mentions a fanzine by Paul J. Willis called Anubis. The first ad is run for Health Knowledge’s new digest, World Wide Adventure. WWA was comprised predominately of reprints from Adventure and Argosy and lasted 7 issues.

No. 8 Spring 1968

130 pages, 50 cents

cover by Virgil Finlay

(2) The White Lady of the Orphanage – Seabury Quinn

(10,250 words; from Weird Tales, September 1927)

(5) The Gray People – John Campbell Haywood

(6500 words; from The Witch’s Tales, November 1936)

(6) *And Then No More – Jay Tyler (4600 words)

(4) The Endocrine Monster – R. Anthony

(8500 words; from Weird Tales, April 1927)

(1) The Return of the Sorcerer – Clark Ashton Smith

(6750 words; from Strange Tales, September 1931)

(3) The Three from the Tomb – Edmond Hamilton

(13,250 words; from Weird Tales, February 1932)

Notes: With this issue, SMS changes its format from two columns to straight text (with the exception of the Haywood story). Jules de Grandin appears in “The White Lady.” The story is presented with illos (uncredited) of de Grandin and his partner, Dr. Samuel Trowbridge. The Haywood story is introduced by Sam Moskowitz. Clark Ashton Smith’s “The Return of the Sorcerer” is illustrated by pulp legend Rafael de Soto (responsible for many classic Black Mask covers). Jay Tyler was a pseudonym used by RAWL. Joseph Doolin illustrates the Hamilton story. In The Cauldron, RAWL discusses the difference between the stories included in MOH and SMS. Letter writer Ron Smith comments: “The Glass Floor” (in SMS #6, written by Stephen King) was interesting and rather shocking. King is a very promising young writer and I’m sorry you had to send back his longer tale. It would have been extremely interesting to see how he stood up in a longer story” (I wonder if Mr. Smith felt the same after reading King’s behemoth, The Stand). To which RAWL replies: “Author King is cordially invited to re-submit the story I had to return, due to length, if it is not over 6000 words!” I’ve no idea if the story discussed was “The Reaper’s Image,” which was published a year later in SMS #12 (and did run under 6000 words).

No. 9 Summer 1968

130 pages, 50 cents

cover by Virgil Finlay

(2) The Black Mass – Col. S. P. Meek

(8250 words; from Strange Tales, November 1931)

(1) The Last Archer – Earl Peirce, Jr.

(12,250 words; from Weird Tales, March 1937)

(4) *The Sight of Roses – Jay Tyler (7600 words)

Acrophobia (verse) – L. Sprague de Camp

(5) Webbed Hands – Ferdinand Berthoud

(8500 words; from Strange Tales, November 1931)

(3) Hollywood Horror – Paul Ernst

(12,750 words; from Weird Tales, October, 1935)

Notes: “The Black Mass” is illustrated by Amos Sewell. There’s a strange half-page item called “The Death of Bolster” which is uncredited but appeared originally in the September 1931 issue of Strange Tales. The piece discusses the legend of a giant in Cornwall. There are “decorations” (RAWL’s description) by artist Boyce on the final page of “The Last Archer.” And one by Hugh Rankin on the last page of “Webbed Hands.”  “Webbed Hands” is illustrated by H. W. Wesso. “Hollywood Horror” is a Doctor Satan story. In The Cauldron, RAWL addresses a letter writer’s question about “framing a story in which a character is depicted as narrating the main story to some group or to a second ‘first person’ who writes it down,” and defends the idea of a reprint magazine. It’s interesting to note that, according to the advertisement on page 127, one could buy a “Life-Size Party Girl.” Five foot four inches tall with measurements of 36-22-36, all for only three bucks. Models included Joy and Candy. This seems a much more affordable solution to companionship than marriage and I suspect many readers of the Health Knowledge zines took advantage of this offer.

No. 10 Fall 1968

130 pages, 50 cents

cover by Virgil Finlay

(3) The House of the Living Dead – Harold Ward

(13,750 words; from Weird Tales, March 1932)

(4) *The Indoor Safari – Max Nugor (2600 words)

(5) The House Party at Smoky Island – L. M. Montgomery

(4000 words; from Weird Tales, March 1935)

(1) Settler’s Wall – Robert A. W. Lowndes

(11,000 words; from Stirring Science Stories, March 1942)

(2) The Isle of Missing Ships – Seabury Quinn

(17,500 words; from Weird Tales, February 1926)

Notes: On The Editor’s Page, RAWL discusses the newly-issued The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, a massive, two volume, 1452-page collection of Holmes stories. The Ward story is illustrated by Joseph Doolin. “The House Party at Smoky Island,” which is illustrated by Vincent Napoli, sounds more like a Hardy Boys mystery than a featured story in Weird Tales. According to Lowndes’ author notes, his “Settler’s Wall” originally appeared in a shorter version as “The Long Wall” as by Wilfred Owen Morley. In the resurrected Inquisitions book review column, RAWL reviews The Best From The Phantagraph, edited by Donald A. Wollheim and the latest issues of fanzines Lighthouse (edited and published by Terry Carr) and Habakkuk. The Quinn story, a de Grandin, has story notes by RAWL. In them, he relates rumors about up to 200 unpublished de Grandin stories. Lowndes gets the story straight from the horse’s mouth by writing to Quinn, who says “the correct figure of such unpublished manuscripts was no more or less than 0.” RAWL goes on to explain that Weird Tales published every de Grandin Quinn sent them. “The Isle” is illustrated by an uncredited artist. In The Cauldron, RAWL announces the death of Anthony Boucher.

No. 11 Winter 1968/69

130 pages, 50 cents

cover by Virgil Finlay

(2) *Wolf Hollow Bubbles – David H. Keller, M.D. (8000 words)

(t-5) *Mrs. Kaye – Beverly Haaf (4000 words)

(4) The Haunter of the Ring – Robert E. Howard

(7000 words; from Weird Tales, June 1934)

(t-5) The Vengeance of India – Seabury Quinn

(7000 words; from Weird Tales, April 1926)

(1) After Sunset – Philip Hazleton

(7500 words; from Strange Tales, November 1931)

(3) The Ship of Silent Men – Philip M. Fisher

(16,500 words; from All-Story, January 3, 1920

The Whisperer (Verse) – Robert A. W. Lowndes

Notes: On The Editor’s Page(s), Lowndes discusses August Derleth’s Solar Pons stories and their relation to Sherlock Holmes. “Wolf Hollow Bubbles,” containing the popular Taine of San Francisco character created by Keller, originally appeared in a “slightly different” form in a pamphlet published in January 1934 by The ARRA Printers. The Howard story is illustrated (with a headlight shot!) by Hammond and “After Sunset” features an illo by Rafael de Soto. The Quinn story is a de Grandin. Rawl reviews The Multi-Man by Philip Harbottle and The Necronomicon: A Study by Mark Owings in Inquisitions. He also notes the latest issues of The Arkham Collector, Deeper Than You Think, and The Count Dracula Society Quarterly. We also get the first mention of the first issue of Paul Ganley’s long-running semi-pro fanzine, Weirdbook. The zine really hit the big time in 1984 when Ganley published “Gramma” by Stephen King in its 19^th issue. A major look at Weirdbook’s nearly 30-year publishing history is planned for a future bb blog. Mike Ashley contributes to The Cauldron.

No. 12 Spring 1969

130 pages, 50 cents

cover by Virgil Finlay

(t-3) The Woman with the Velvet Collar – Gaston Leroux

(6500 words; from Weird Tales, October 1929)

(t-3) *The Reaper’s Image – Stephen King (3250 words)

Sirrush (verse) – L. Sprague de Camp

(2) Sword for a Sinner – Edward D. Hoch

(13,500 words; from The Saint Mystery Magazine, October 1959)

(t-3) Tiger – Bassett Morgan

(7750 words; from Strange Tales, March 1932)

(1) The City of the Blind – Murray Leinster

(16,500 words; from Argosy, December 28, 1929)

Notes: Issue #12 is the second most collectible Health Knowledge publication, not coincidentally because it features a very early story by Stephen King. Unlike the earlier “The Glass Floor,” (in SMS #6), “The Reaper’s Image” can be found easily in King’s 1986 collection, Skeleton Crew. In The Editor’s Page, RAWL discusses Edgar Allan Poe and his detective Auguste Dupin. Another (uncredited) small piece taken from the September 1931 issue of Strange Tales investigates “West England’s Little Folk.” Inquisitions features a review of The Exploits of Chevalier Dupin by Michael Harrison. The Hoch story features his ageless occult investigator, Simon Ark (a list of Ark appearances can be found below). 2 letters from Mike Ashley in The Cauldron. An Index to Volume 2 appears.

Sources: Galactic Central
Lowndes, Robert A. W. "The Health-Knowledge Years." Outworlds 28/29, October 1976.
Marshall, Gene & Carl F. Waedt. "Health Knowledge Magazines." The Science Fiction Collector #3, 1977.

THE STORIES OF SIMON ARK

1. “Village of the Dead" (Famous Detective Stories, December 1955)

2. "The Hoofs of Satan" (Famous Detective Stories, February 1956)

3. "The Witch Is Dead" (Famous Detective Stories, April 1956)

4. "The Man from Nowhere"  (Famous Detective Stories, June 1956)

5. "The Vicar of Hell" (Famous Detective Stories, August 1956)

6. "The Wolves of Werclaw" (Famous Detective Stories, October 1956)

7. "Blood in the Stands" (Terror Detective Story Magazine, February 1957)

8. "The Judges of Hades" (Crack Detective & Mystery Stories, February 1957)

9. "Serpent in Paradise" (Crack Detective & Mystery Stories, April 1957)

10. "Twelve for Eternity" (Crack Detective & Mystery Stories, July 1957)

11. "The Hour of None" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, Fall 1957)

12. "Desert of Sin" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, May 1958)

13. " The Dragon Murders" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, September 1958)

14. "Street of Screams" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, January 1959)

15. "The Case of the Sexy Smugglers" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, July 1959)

16. "The Case of the Naked Niece" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, September 1959)

17. "Sword for a Sinner" (The Saint Mystery Magazine, October 1959)

18. " The Case of the Vanished Virgin" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, November 1959)

19. " The Case of the Ragged Rapist" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, January 1960)

20. "City of Brass" (The Saint Mystery Library #121, September 1959)

21. " Flame at Twilight" (The Saint Mystery Library #126, January 1960)

22. "The Case of the Mystic Mistress" (Double-Action Detective & Mystery, May 1960)

23. "The Clouded Venus"  (Tightrope Detective Magazine, June 1960)

24. " Lovely Lady of Lust" (Keyhole Detective Magazine, April 1962)

25. "Day of the Wizard"  (Chase, September 1964)

26. "The Lost Pilgrim" (Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, February 1972)

27. "Funeral in the Fog" (Weird Tales, Summer 1973)

28. "The Treasure of Jack the Ripper" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, October 1978)

29. "The Mummy from the Sea" (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, January 1979)

30. "The Man Who Shot the Werewolf" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, February 1979)

31. "The Avenger from Outer Space" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, October 1979)

32. "The Weapon Out of the Past" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 7, 1980)

33. "The Sorceress of the Sea" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August  18, 1980)

34. "The Vultures of Malabar" (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, October  1, 1980)

35. "The Dying Marabout" (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, February 4, 1981)

36. "The Unicorn's Daughter" (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, January 6, 1982)

37. "The House of a Hundred Birds" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, February 24, 1982)

38. "The Witch of Park Avenue" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 1982)

39. "Ark in the Desert" (Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, December 1984)

40. “The Spy on the Seaway” (Espionage, February 1985)

41. “Prisoner of Zerfall” (Espionage, November 1985)

42. “Day of the Dead” (Espionage, April 1986)

43. “The S.S.S.” (Mystery Scene, November 1986)

44. “The Way Up to Hades” (Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, January 1988)

45. “The Virgins of Valentine” (14 Vicious Valentines, Avon, 1988)

46. “The Touch of Kolyada” (Mistletoe Mysteries, Mysterious Press, 1989)

47. “The Stalker of Souls” (Stalkers, Dark Harvest, 1989)

48. “The Society of the Scar” (Predators, Roc, 1993)

49. “The Night Swimmer” (Northern Frights, Mosaic Press, 1994)

50. “No Blood for a Vampire” (Vampire Detectives, DAW, 1995)

51. “Robin Hood’s Race” (No Alibi, Ringpull, 1995)

52.  “The Graveyard Ghoul” (Night Screams, Roc, 1996)

(And 9 more titles since 1996. Many thanks to Jack Seabrook and "Mr. Ridgeway" for doing my homework for me)

The Town Where No One Stayed Over--EQMM March 1997

Master of Miracles--EQMM May 1999
The Scaring Reel--EQMM May 2001
The Man Who Boxed Forever-- Murder on the Ropes, editor Otto Penzler, September 2001
The Faraway Quilters--EQMM Feb. 2003
Tram to Tomorrow--EQMM June 2004
The Gravesend Trumpet--EQMM Dec. 2005
The Christmas Egg--Crippen and Landru Christmas pamphlet (limited to 353 copies) reprinted in EQMM, January 2009
The Automaton Museum--Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazine #1 May 2008

Note: If anyone knows of any titles to add to this list, please leave all data in the comments section and I'll edit this list as info comes in. Thanks!