While hunting through the net for more George Sterling information, I stumbled across this:
The Creasey Mystery Magazine [v 1 #10, June 1957] ed. Leslie Syddall (Dalrow Publishing Company, 2/-, 112pp, large digest, cover by R. W. S.); [MAW]
3 • Death in Lion Country • John Creasey • nv
48 • The Cask of Amontillado [Fortunado] • Edgar Allan Poe • ss Godey's Lady's Book Nov, 1846
54 • The House by the Headland • Sapper • ss The Sovereign Magazine Mar '20
67 • Victim No. 5 • Harry Stephen Keeler • ss Young's Magazine, 1914
76 • The Pedlar [Solange Fontaine] • F. Tennyson Jesse • ss (r)
92 • The Shell • A. Clark Smith • ss
102 • Book Reviews • Misc. Material • br
104 • Death in a Squared Ring • Len Zinberg • ss
When I press the link of CAS' name it comes up as Smith, A. Clark, so I am assuming it is our CAS.
This isn't one that I've heard of, but I would be sceptical until I actually saw the issue. There are so many errors in transcribing material it isn't even funny. One of the worse instances is an issue of STARTLING STORIES from the 1940s that regularly shows up on eBay. The front cover mistakenly credits a story to CAS, so it gets written up that way on eBay and shows up on searches. If this mag were from the mid=1920s, I might be more hopeful, since there is at least one "romantic-ironic" tale ("The Flirt" from SNAPPY STORIES) that we still need to nail down publication information, but by 1957 CAS was pretty much of a none quantity and his stuff would have been noticed.
Still, I'd like to see the story.... :-)
Ah what a nightmare to have to deal with misprints. I've e-mailed someone who cultivates a Creasey webpage. On his page it says that the Shell was a first printing. I will let you know if I find out more.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 22 May 06 | 05:42PM by NightHalo.
"It is by Clark Smith - not A Clark Smith - and he is described as 'a promising young English writer and we are pleased to be the first to publish his new story'.
It starts 'Have you ever heard of a Conus Gloria-Maris?' Does that help track it down?
If not I will gladly try and get a scan of the entire story - though that will take a while.
Early mags ike this are scare - as the cover art is fantastic."
Sounds like a case of two similar names, and let's face it, when one of the names is
"Smith" we're going to get a _lot_ of false positives! Still, it was worth following up. (I do wonder at his characterization of a 1957 venue as an "early" mag! Now,if this were 1917, that would be the proverbial horse of a different color!)
I'd be interested to read "Victim No. 5" by Harry Stephen Keeler....a weird taste I acquired after reading Bill Pronzoni's horrible Gun in Cheek and Son of Gun in Cheek books. He has a whole chapter on Keeler, and his surrealistic mysteries. Only read Keeler's works if you enjoy punishment.....
GDC