The Illustrated Detective Magazine
Mystery: The Illustrated Detective Magazine

12 December 2005


October 1933 "Death of a Mummy"    

The title "The Illustrated Detective Magazine" was used until the September 1932 issue. Beginning with the October 1932 issue, the magazine title became "Mystery - The Illustrated Detective Magazine" with the subtitle printed in much smaller type. The subtitle was eventually dropped. The magazine was sold primarily in Woolworth stores rather than on newsstands.
    Over a three year period the magazine published fifteen Rohmer stories, plus a brief 13-line comment used as a promotional device in one issue (allowing the author's name to be displayed prominently on the cover even though he had no story in that issue).

    Note:   Issues marked with the symbol (*) or (#) are at hand should any questions arise.

Captain Trouble, No. 1.
   The Episode of the Reluctant Publisher
   ["He Patronises Pamela"   from
   The Exploits of Captain O'Hagan]		 II : 6 December 1930 #

From the collection of R. E. Briney
Cover: W. T. Benda
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The Leopard Lady
   The Gallant Exploits of Captain Trouble, No. 2.
   ["He Meets the Leopard Lady"   from
   The Exploits of Captain O'Hagan]		 III : 1 January 1931 #
The Man With A Green Moustache
   [The Exploits of Captain Trouble, No. 3]
   ["He Deals with Don Juan"   from
   The Exploits of Captain O'Hagan]		 III : 2 February 1931 *

IllDetGreen.jpg (19360 bytes)
Cover: W. T. Benda
 

The Mystery of the 10:30 Folkestone Express
   [title on the cover given as
   "The Mystery of the 10:30 Express"]		 III : 3 March 1932 #

The Red Robe
   ["The Cardinal's Stair"]

RedRobe.jpg (24070 bytes)
Cover design by E. K. Bergey

V : 6 June 1932 *
Nightmare House
   [drastically rewritten version of
   "The Haunting of Low Fennell"]		 VI : 2 August 1932 *

From the collection of Lawrence Knapp
  

The Curse of a Thousand Kisses VI : 4 October 1932 *#
Turquoise Death
   ["The Turquoise Necklace"]		 VI : 6 December 1932 *#
"Sax Rohmer Disagrees!" VII : 1 January 1933 *#

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 Despite a rather misleading cover, this issue contained a short, 13-line, comment by Rohmer which was inserted between the title and the opening paragraphs of the true-crime article  "The Mystery of the Locked Room"  by Alan Hynd. New York City Police Commissioner Mulrooney offered his solution followed by "Sax Rohmer Disagrees."

 

Brood of the Witch Queen was presented as seven individual stories with the running title "The Witch's Son."    Four of the titles (marked "+") were major revisions of the original text.  All of the stories were illustrated by Rico Tomaso.
The Invisible Strangler
   [chapters 1-3 of the book]		 VII : 3 March 1933
The Sinister Perils of Myra
   [chapters 4-6 of the book]+		 VII : 4 April 1933 *#

The April 1933 issue introduced a "new department," "The LINE-UP," a page devoted to letters from the readers.One of the first letters was in reaction to the disagreement between Commissioner Mulrooney and Sax Rohmer in the January issue:     

   
To the MYSTERY Editor:
     If you could arrange a debate between those two great men who appeared in the January issue of MYSTERY Magazine, Commissioner Mulrooney and Sax Rohmer, you could fill Madison Square Garden with ardent mystery lovers.
     "The Mystery of the Locked Room" was the most fascinating story I have ever read, and while I agree with Sax Rohmer's solution of the murder, I admire Commissioner Mulrooney as one of the greatest police commissioners the city of New York has ever known. I, for one, would go any distance to hear these two outstanding men debate on the question of how Isadore Fisk met his death.
     This is still such an open mystery in the minds of American people, that I believe if you promoted such a debate, it would be the sensational event of the year.
                                                                              Mary Lyons
                                                                                 New York City
     

  
Satan's Son
   [chapters 7-10 of the book]+		   
VII : 5		   
May 1933		   
#
The Witch Queen
   [chapters 11-15 of the book]+		 VIII:1 July 1933 #
The Devil's Brood
   [chapters 16-19 of the book]+		 VIII:2 August 1933
The Sacred Lotus
   [chapters 20-24 of the book]		 VIII:3 September 1933 #
Death of a Mummy
   [chapters 25-31 of the book]		 VIII:4 October 1933 #

Copyright © 1998-2005 Lawrence Knapp. All rights reserved.

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