Sax Rohmer's Newspaper Appearances

Updated: 11 January 2011

In addition to appearing in literally thousands of magazines, Sax Rohmer's work was printed in many newspapers. The newspapers printed  non-fiction titles, serializations, and complete supplements. The known instances are listed below in order of publication, but it is quite likely there are others.  Please inform us if   you know of any not listed.   "The Zayat Kiss" first appeared in Collier's Magazine on 15 February 1913. The earliest known newspaper reprint date was 5 October 1913 in the Washington D.C. evening Star Sunday newspaper. All newspaper issues known to us are listed below. We are convinced there were many additional newspaper appearances and would appreciate and additional information.


 

 

The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu was published as a series of separate stories in the Washington D.C. evening Star Sunday newspaper. Five issues have been examined. These were numbered (See "The Ninth Fu-Manchu Story" above) and printed on five consecutive Sundays in November 1913, so the other dates are fairly easy to guess. These issues are marked with an * below.

The Zayat Kiss* 5 October 1913
The Clue of the Pigtail* 12 October 1913
Redmoat* 19 October 1913
The Green Mist* 26 October 1913
The Call of Siva 2 November 1913
Kāramančh 9 November 1913
"Andaman---Second!" 16 November 1913
The Golden Flask 23 November 1913
Spores of Death 30 November 1913
The Knocking on the Door* 7 December 1913

The stories are also known to have been published  in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Sunday Magazine from 31 January to 4 April, 1915. Three issues have been examined and they correspond to three of the ten Collier's episodes of 1913, so it is likely that all ten episodes were published. The three confirmed titles were examined by Robert E. Briney. The other seven titles (marked *)  and dates are conjecture--at least until they are confirmed--but it seems reasonable to project that "The Golden Flask" was in the 21 March issue, and extrapolating backward would put the first story, "The Zayat Kiss," in the issue for 31 January 1915.
The Zayat Kiss* 31 January.1915
The Clue of the Pigtail* 7 February 1915
Redmoat* 14 February 1915
The Green Mist* 21 February 1915
The Call of Siva* 28 February 1915
Kāramančh* 7 March 1915
"Andaman---Second!" 14 March 1915
The Golden Flask* 21 March 1915
Spores of Death 28 March 1915
The Knocking on the Door 4 April 1915

The Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine serialized  Sax Rohmer's The Yellow Claw in nine parts from April 2, 1916 through May 28, 1916.   [Reported by Victor A. Berch]
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 1-4 April 2, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 5-11 April 9, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 12-19 April 16, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 20-26 April 23, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 27-31 April 30, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 31(cont.)-34 May 7, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 34(cont.)-36 May 14, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 36(cont.)-39 May 21, 1916
The Yellow Claw--Ch. 40-41 (conclusion) May 28, 1916

The Detroit Free Press published "The Mummy. A Fu Manchu Story" in the Feature Section, page 5 on 27 August 1916. Since this is the concluding installment of Return of Dr. Fu Manchu, it is quite likely that the preceding nine installments also appeared in this paper. Any confirmation would be appreciated. [Reported by Victor A. Berch.]


The Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine ran the full 10 part serial of Fu Manchu and Company beginning September 3, 1916.   [Reported by Victor A. Berch.]

The Wire Jacket September 3, 1916
The Cry of the Nighthawk September 10, 1916
The Avenue Mystery September 17, 1916
The White Peacock September 24,  1916
The Coughing Horror October  1, 1916
The Silver Buddha October 8, 1916
Cragmire Tower October 15, 1916
The Fiery Hand October 22, 1916
The Six Gates October 29, 1916
The Mummy November 5, 1916

These appeared in the Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine magazine under the main title "The Quest of Mahomet's Sacred Slipper" by Saxe[!] Rohmer. (This spelling appeared only on the first episode. The correct spelling was used on all the other episodes).  [Reported by Victor A. Berch.]

The Phantom Scimitar Sep. 23, 1917 No. 1  pp. 5,6
The Fight for the Safe Sep. 30, 1917 No. 2  pp. 11, 12
The Hand of a Thief Oct. 7, 1917* No. 3  pp. 11,12
The Enigma of the Yellow Dwarf Oct. 14, 1917 No. 4  pp. 11,12
The Light of El-Medineh Oct. 21, 1917* No. 5  pp. 9, 10
A Disk of Light Oct. 28, 1917 No. 6  pp. 10, 11
The Pool of Death Nov. 4, 1917 No. 7  pp. 11, 12
The Siege of the "Upland" Nov. 11, 1917 No. 8  pp. 12, 13
* The main title to these two starred episodes was "The Quest of Mohammed's Sacred Slipper". All episodes were illustrated by an unknown (at least to me) artist.

The Chicago Sunday Tribune had a "Part Five Color Section: Fiction." It ran a most curious series. Beginning  January 20, 1918, they printed the first five installments of  The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu. They then skipped the five remaining stories of the first series and jumped to "The Wire Jacket," the first installment of The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu, the second series. Each of the stories, including the tenth story in the series, "The Coughing Horror," ends with the note: "(Another Fu-Manchu story will appear next Sunday)."  The "Part Five" pages, however, were dated only on the title page.

*   Dates marked "*" are from the actual title page.
#   Those marked "#" have handwritten dates on the story pages in my
      possession but no printed dates.
+    Those marked "+" reflect information provided by Raymond Collins,
      the Reference Librarian at Illinois State Library.
      Unmarked dates are only conjecture at this time.

Also noteworthy were the variety of artists who illustrated the stories. J. C. Coll had illustrated the entire run of the stories for Collier's, but his art was only used for a few of the stories in The Chicago Sunday Tribune. Other artists included Lavin, Paul Orban and Garrett Price.

The Zayat Kiss
This is the First of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
 
[The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, 1]
January 20, 1918*
Illustrated by Lavin
The Clew of the Pigtail
This is the Second of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
  
[The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, 2]
January 27, 1918*
Illustrator not identified

OrbanRedmoatTitle.jpg (26703 bytes)

OrbanRedmoat.jpg (52452 bytes)
But none was before me when
I leaped over the threshold    

Redmoat
This is the Third of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
  
[The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, 3]
February 3, 1918#
Illustrated by Paul Orban

CollMist.jpg (43891 bytes)
"Run," I warned,    
"The door, for your
life!"                      

The Green Mist
This is the Fourth of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
  
[The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, 4]
February 10, 1918#
Illustrated by J. C. Coll

OrbanSiva.jpg (17570 bytes)
It was Dr. Fu-Manchu

The Call of Siva
This is the Fifth of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
  
[The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, 5]
February 17, 1918*
Illustrated by Paul Orban
The Wire Jacket
This is the Sixth of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
   [The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, 1]
March 3, 1918
(March 8, 1918# This is written on the story by hand, but quite unlikely as March 8, 1918 was a Friday. March 3, however is consistent with the two confirmed dates in March. )
Illustrator not identified

Nighthawk.jpg (19929 bytes)
A memory was burning into my brain; it was that of the cry of the nighthawk
which had harbingered the death of Forsyth!

The Cry of the Nighthawk
This is the Seventh of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
   [The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, 2]
March 10, 1918
Illustrated by Garrett Price
The Avenue Mystery
This is the Eighth of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
   [The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, 3]
March 17, 1918
Illustrated by J. C. Coll

CollPeacock.jpg (35348 bytes)
The place was utterly deserted again, and we two panting captives found
ourselves alone with Dr. Fu-Manchu.

The White Peacock
This is the Ninth of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
   [The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, 4]
March 24, 1918+
Illustrated by J. C. Coll
The Coughing Horror
This is the Tenth of a Series of Stories of Fu-Manchu -- Tales of Thrill and Terror
   [The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu, 5]
   (Another Fu-Manchu story will
   appear next Sunday)
March 31, 1918#+
Illustrator not identified
??
  "No subsequent Sax Rohmer story showed in the April 7, April 14, and May 5 Sunday issues of the Tribune, although one was reported to be coming in the March 31 Tribune." -- Raymond Collins, Reference Librarian.   Illinois State Library Reference Dept.
??

The Silver Buddha

May 19, 1918

The Fiery Hand

May 26, 1918

Cragmire Tower    

June 2, 1918

The Six Gates     

June 9, 1918
The Mummy          June 16, 1918
The additional five title above were reported by Victor Berch in April 2010. As Victor wrote: "I can't believe after all these years that I've come across a few more stories of Fu Manchu that appeared in the Chicago Sunday Tribune."

 

 
 

The Chicago Sunday Tribune published two stores which may have been the first American printings. Victor A. Berch  found that they were registered for U.S. copyright and are listed in the Catalog of Copyright Entries. The first was "Curse of a Thousand Kisses." The second was "The Dyke Grange Mystery" in 1922. 

Curse of a Thousand Kisses
     Illustrated by Maude Martin Evers.
November 23, 1919

In 1920 the  Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine serialized The Golden Scorpion in seven weekly installments and printed "The White Hat" in 1921.   [Reported by Victor A. Berch.]
 

no chapter designations [Chapter I - Chapter VI (part)] August 1, 1920
Chapter VI (conclusion) - Chapter IX (part) August 8, 1920
Chapter IX (conclusion) - Chapter XVI (part) August 15, 1920
Chapter XVI (conclusion) - Chapter XXI August 22, 1920
Chapter XXII - Chapter XXVIII (part) August 29, 1920
Chapter XXVIII (conclusion) - Chapter XXXI (part) September 5, 1920
Chapter XXXI (conclusion) - Chapter XXXVI September 12, 1920

"The White Hat" (Illustrator not identified) pp. 9-10  December 11, 1921

The Chicago Sunday Tribune published a second story in 1922. It may have been the first American printings. Victor A. Berch  found that they were registered for U.S. copyright and are listed in the Catalog of Copyright Entries.
The Dyke Grange Mystery
     No illustrator named.
May 28, 1922    
 

In 1922 the Boston Daily Advertiser serialized (most of) The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu and The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu in daily installments, with a one week break between the two serials. From July through mid-September, installments appeared 7 days a week; from September 16 onward, Sundays were excluded. The correspondence between newspaper installments and book chapters or Collier's stories has not yet been determined.   [Reported by Victor A. Berch]


The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu:
    The Zayat Kiss 4 - 9 July 1922 (Tuesday - Sunday)
    The Slave Girl of Stamboul 10 - 15 July 1922 (Monday - Saturday)
    The Slaying of Sir Lionel 16 - 17 July 1922 (Sunday - Monday)
    The Call of Sin 18 - 23 July 1922 (Tuesday - Sunday)
    "Andaman—Second!" 24 July - 3 August 1922 (Monday - Thursday)
    The Golden Flask 4 - 6 August 1922 (Tuesday - Sunday)
    Spores of Death 7 - 20 August 1922 (Monday - Sunday)

The Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu:
    installments 1 - 21 27 August - 16 September 1922 (Sunday - Saturday)
    installments 22 - 44 18 September - 13 October 1922 (Monday - Friday)



The Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine [Reported by Victor A. Berch]

The Haunting of Low Fennel                    Nov. 26, 1922  pp. 6-7; illus.


Sunday, 21 February 1926

Cleveland Plain Dealer
Fiction Magazine Section
Complete Novel in This Issue:
The Dream Detective

From the collection of R. E. Briney


29 August 1926
Minneapolis Tribune
Fiction Section
Yellow Shadows.


25 June 1933
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Book of the Week supplement 
Yu'an Hee See Laughs


11 March 1928 
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Complete Novel Section 
Moon of Madness

It also appeared in exactly the same format (cover illustration, pagination, etc.) in a supplement to the Chicago Herald Examiner, 28 February 1937.


The Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine published The Emperor of America in twelve parts, beginning June 16, 1929.   Each installment was accompanied by one illustration by Gene Mack.   [Reported by Victor A. Berch]

For the most part, the twelve installments used the same titles and order of publication used in Collier's from November 5, 1927 through August 18, 1928. The following exceptions are noted: a "The" was added to both "Mysterious Napoleon" and "Manhattan Caverns"; the plural "Barking Dogs" became a single "Barking Dog";  "At the Road House" became "At the Roadhouse"; and most notably "The White Room," which followed "At the Road House" in Collier's, was presented after "The Manhattan Caverns."

  The Emperor of America
  The Diamond Z 
  Thorn Apple 
  The Mysterious Napoleon
  The Barking Dog 
  At the Roadhouse
  The Emperor of America Returns
  The Black White Way
  Great Head Center
  The Manhattan Caverns
  The White Room
  The Cardinal's Garden
      
June 16, 1929
June 23, 1929
July 7, 1929
July 14, 1929
July 21, 1929
July 28, 1929
August 4, 1929
August 11, 1929
August 18, 1929
August 25, 1929
September 1, 1929
September 8, 1929

"Satan" was a newspaper article published in London by The Daily Express presumably some time in 1930. It was sold 25 February  1930, but the actual publication date is not known.


The Bride of Fu Manchu appeared in Ideas and Town Talk (a British weekly newspaper) in 12 parts from 7 October  to 23 December 1933.


The Bat Flies Low
BOOK of theWEEK CLUB
Supplement of
Philadelpha Record
Sunday, 26 January  1936
A twenty page supplement with numerous illustrations by F. M. Anderson.

From the collection of Lawrernce Knapp
"She had screamed__turned__and run for the library. There was no sound, but she knew that that presence was behind her . . .  those green eyes blazing in the darkness, like the eyes of some nocturnal beast."


President Fu Manchu
BOOK of the WEEK CLUB
Supplement of
Philadelpha Record
Sunday, 9 August  1936.

PresFuNP.jpg (44568 bytes)

White Velvet
The Sunday Novel . . . Complete in This Issue
Philadelphia Inquirer
Sunday, 28 February, 1937

WhiteVel.jpg (53027 bytes)

28 February 1937
Chicago Herald Examiner
Complete Novel Section 
Moon of Madness

It previously appeared in exactly the same format (cover illustration, pagination, etc.) in a supplement to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, 11 March 1928.


 

Pipe Dreams: Popular Novelist's Own Story

From 30 January to 17 April 1938, the Empire News, Manchester, England, ran a series of non-fiction articles by Sax Rohmer.    Titles, dates and additional information are available on the Pipe Dreams page.


A Heart in Her Hands appeared in the Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine, 29 November  1942. It appeared in Collier's the previous year (31 May 1941) and was later published as the first five chapters of Bimbashi Baruk of Egypt   [Reported by Victor A. Berch]


The Bimbashi & Other Stories.

"A Gold Seal Novel Complete iin this issue." 

The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sunday 4 March  1945.
Eight pages.

From the collection of Lawrence Knapp

Adventures in England

"A Gold Seal Novel Complete in this issue."

Philadelphia Inquirer. Sunday, 13 May 1945. 

A curious abridgement of three Bimbashi Baruk stories. "A Double Headed Case" was an abridged version combining two Bimbashi Baruk stories: Murder Strikes in Lychgate and The Laughing Buddha. This was followed by "A Fragment of Chinchilla," an abridged version of Mystery Strikes at Ragstaff Hill. 


Some Egyptian Nights: The Scorpion of Kashan

"A Gold Seal Novel Complete in this issue." 

The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Sunday 17 March 1946.
Eight pages.


Jamaican Rose

The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Today, Sunday newspaper supplement section
Sunday 4 December 1949


The Boston Sunday Globe Fiction Magazine [Reported by Victor A. Berch]

Seventeen Lotus Blossoms 21August 1949 p. 7

Moon Over the Sphinx 23 October 1949 pp. 10, 11

Cease Play at Eleven 18 February 1951 pp. 8, 9 illus. by John Masterson

Jamaican Rose 29 April 1951 pp. 8, 9 illus. by Norbert Quinn


Two stories are known to have appeared in the Star Weekly, a supplement to the Toronto STAR newspaper.

Green Devil Mask"  26 January  to 23 February  1952 as a 5 part serial.

Fugitive Celebrity  24 September 1955.

From the collection of Lawrence Knapp


Copyright © 1998-2004 Lawrence Knapp & R. E. Briney. All rights reserved.

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