Argosy Library, Series XIII

On Black Friday weekend 2022, Steeger Books put out their next sets of Argosy Library volumes, Series XII and XIII.

As always, with each series, we get 10 books of great, and sometimes overlooked, fiction that appeared in the early pulps. We get some stand-alone works, as well as volumes of various sub-series. This selection seems very heavy on crime and detective stories and series.

Most are taken from the pulps started by Frank A. Munsey, who converted his fiction magazines to pulp paper and reduced their price, making them more profitable. He published the well-known Argosy magazine, which got its start in the late 1800s, and several other popular magazines such as The All-Story and Flynn’s Detective Fiction Weekly.

Series XIII consists of:

• The Return of George Washington, by George F. Worts
• Lady of Death: The Complete Cases of Mr. Strang, Vol. 1, by Carroll John Daly
• The Corpse Clue: The Complete Cases of Morton & McGarvey, Vol. 1, by Donald Barr Chidsey
• Thirty Days for Henry: The Complete Tales of Sheriff Henry, Vol. 6, by W.C. Tuttle
• The Other Man’s Blood: The Complete Cases of the Scientific Club, Vol. 1, by Ray Cummings
• The Immortals, by Ralph Milne Farley
• Sting of the Blue Scorpion: The Adventures of Peter the Brazen, Vol. 6, by Loring Brent
• Ammunition Up: The Complete Adventures of Cordie, Soldier of Fortune, Vol. 5, by W. Wirt
• The Under Dogs: The Complete Cases of Madame Storey, Vol. 3, by Herbert Footner
• The Fifth Gate: The Complete Cases of Tug Norton, Vol. 1, by Edward Parrish Ware

First, we have a stand-alone novel by George F. Worts, who is better known for his adventure series. The Return of George Washington, where thanks to the experiments of a scientist, George Washington, our first president, is returned to life in the 1920s. How does he respond? Could this have been the inspiration for a certain Doc Savage story?

From the creator of the hard-boiled detective, Carroll John Daly gives us Mr. Strang. In this series, our hero, who has a bullet lodged in his skull, leads a group of men and women who help him overcome a dangerous criminal threat. Lady of Death: The Complete Cases of Mr. Strang, Vol. 1, has the first half — three stories — of this series.

Another popular series from Detective Fiction Monthly stars hard-boiled Miami cop Sgt. Wentworth L. McGarvey and his sidekick, Detective Morton, which ran 30-some stories. As someone living in South Florida, I wonder how accurate it is. The Corpse Clue: The Complete Cases of Morton & McGarvey, Vol. 1, by Donald Barr Chidsey has the first five stories when the series started in Dime Detective magazine. Wonder if it had shudder-pulp elements in these tales?

The next in W.C. Tuttle‘s humorous western series of Sheriff Henry in Thirty Days for Henry: The Complete Tales of Sheriff Henry, Vol. 6.

We got a deluxe hardcopy edition of Ray Cummings‘s Scientific Club stories some time back, so if you didn’t want that, we now get the series reprinted in paperback starting with The Other Man’s Blood: The Complete Cases of the Scientific Club, Vol. 1, with the first five stories.

Ralph Milne Farley (really Roger Sherman Hoar) is better known for his Radio series set on Venus, but this time we get a stand-alone novel in The Immortals, which was serialized in The Argosy in 1934. While it was reprinted in book form, it has been out of print for decades. Here a young inventor runs up against a sinister secret society with an interest in an immortality formula.

Continuing with Loring Brent (really George F. Worts)’s popular Peter the Brazen is Sting of the Blue Scorpion: The Adventures of Peter the Brazen, Vol. 6, which has the rest of his adventures with the sinister Blue Scorpion. There should be two more volumes in this series. I am looking forward to this one.

Also continuing is next in W. Wirt‘s Jimmie Cordie series in Ammunition Up: The Complete Adventures of Cordie, Soldier of Fortune, Vol. 5, with the next three stories. There should be one more for this series.

From Herbert Footner is the next volume of his interesting female detective, Madame Storey with The Under Dogs: The Complete Cases of Madame Storey, Vol. 3. This one is double the size of the prior two volumes but only has the next two stories. So one must be a pretty long serial. I enjoyed the first volume, so I am hoping these will be equally good.

The Fifth Gate: The Complete Cases of Tug Norton, Vol. 1, by Edward Parrish Ware, stars a cowboy turned detective, Tug Norton, who works for a Kansas City agency. A popular series that ran nearly 50 stories in Flynn’s Detective Fiction, this volume collects the first six stories.

As always, there are volumes here I am definitely going to get, such as the next Peter the Brazen and Jimmie Cordie volumes; others I am thinking of, such as the Madame Storey and Mr. Strang volumes. And yes, there are some I have no interest in. But hopefully, there are some here that will interest everyone. Check out these volumes.

I had hoped for others to appear, like the next Koyale volume or the final Garrett Serviss collection, or maybe start collecting George F. Worts’ Vingo series.