Sunday, February 07, 2021

Sunday Morning Bonus Pulp: Private Detective Stories, September 1942


This Allen Anderson cover is a good example of a picture that tells a story. Since it's 1942, I'll bet those are black market tires, and the blond shutterbug is either a private eye or works for one, and she was trying to get some photos as evidence of the black-marketeering when those two yeggs caught her . . . yeah, I could write that. But in this case, Howard Wandrei, as Robert A. Garron, probably did. Other authors in this issue of PRIVATE DETECTIVE STORIES are Laurence Donovan (twice, as himself and as Larry Dunn), Roger Torrey, and house-names Paul Hanna and R.T. Maynard, who might be any of those other three guys, or somebody else entirely. With Trojan Publishing Corp., you just never know.

3 comments:

EA said...

It's amazing to think that a cover artist was commissioned especially for that artwork. The time and care that went into publishing back then impresses me. Yes, it's still happening with some publishers, but original, commissioned artwork is rare. Thanks for posting, James.
Elaine Ash

James Reasoner said...

Yes, when you consider how many tens of thousands of cover paintings there were during the pulp era, it's amazing indeed.

Anonymous said...

I wish these types of magazines were still around. And, yes, that cover is fantastic!!