Arthur J. Burks - Part 3: 1929 - Dark Worlds Quarterly

If you missed the last one…

1929 is for me a disappointment because Burks is so busy writing war and flying stories, he produces no Science Fiction or Horror (next year!) This list is still impressive when you consider he was in 9 issues of Fight Stories, 8 Wings, 7 Air Stories, 3 Northwest Stories, as well as adding a number of new Fiction House titles: Aces, Action Novels, Airplane Stories, Flying Stories, Frontier Stories, Gangster Stories, Sea Stories, Soldier Stories and Spy Stories. He also added Street & Smith’s Sport Story, Clayton’s Flyers, Harold Hersey’s Eagles of the Air, and The Danger Trail‘s Wide World—Adventure Trails. The total for the year (if you consider each issue of serials) is 65 total, an average of over five stories a month. That’s a busy writing schedule and, we can assume, a decent year’s wages.

Three of the entries are serials, usually three pieces but in one case, five. Flying stories dominate AJB’s output. (He will be writing for Sky Fighters as late as 1950!) I have to wonder if he started to sell his rejects to other publishers. Fiction House had Air Stories, Wings, Airplane Stories, Aces and Flying Stories, so it is hard to imagine Burks needing more markets. The thing that really surprises me is he hasn’t used a pseudonym since Estil Critchie. He would later publish as G. Wayman Jones (House Name), Spencer Lane (Science Fiction), Burke MacArthur (only once when he had another story under his real name), Arthur Nelson (Mystery) & Spencer Whitney (Weird Menace). As prolific as he was (I mean this John Creasey levels!), he didn’t often use pen names.

January

“Boehing Burglars” (Air Stories, January 1929)

“Fists of the Feudists” (Fight Stories, January 1929)

“Wings of Gallantry” (Wings, January 1929)

February

“Condors of the Caribbean” (Wings, February 1929)

“The Odyssey of “Oily” Sung” (Sport Story Magazine, February 15, 1929)

“Storm King’s Wings” (Air Stories, February 1929)

March

“Don Queue Attacks” (Northwest Stories, March 1929)

“Eyrie of the Eagle” (Wings, March 1929)

“Sky-Wise” (Aces, March 1929)

“Taking Santiago” (Sport Story Magazine, March 1, 1929)

“Tiger Heart” (Fight Stories, March 1929)

Art by F. R. Glass, an unknown artist, Charles E. Dameron, an unknown artist and Howard L. Hastings

“Wings of Revolt” (Air Stories, March-July 1929)

April

“Breed of the Tiger” (Fight Stories, April 1929)

“Challenge of the Air” (Air Stories, April 1929)

“The Hell Diver Twin” (Aces, April 1929)

“Hurricane” (Sea Stories, April 1929)

“Keep Your Chin Up” (Sport Story Magazine, April 1, 1929)

“Life-Saving Wings” (St. Nicholas Magazine, April 1929)

May

“Cold Steel” (Soldier Stories, May 1929)

“Don Queue, Feudmaster” (Northwest Stories, May 1929)

“Flying Suitors” (Flying Stories, May 1929)

“Knight of the Skies” (Wings, May 1929)

“The Leather Barrage” (Fight Stories, May 1929)

June

“Bandits of Little Hole” (Sea Stories, June 1929)

“The Flying Caravan” (Flying Stories, June 1929)

“Green Gold” (Action Stories, June 1929)

“Phantom of the Resin” (Fight Stories, June 1929)

“The Sword of Dessalines” (Wide World—Adventure Trails, June 1929) This was the renamed The Danger Trail.

“Wings of Judgment” (Wings, June 1929)

July

“Hawks of Vengeance” (Airplane Stories, July-September 1929)

“Rafferty Sees Red” (Fight Stories, July 1929)

“Vanishing Ships” (Air Stories, July 1929)

“Wings of Disaster” (Wings, July 1929)

“Yellow Guns” (Soldier Stories, July 1929)

“The Yellow Terror” (Spy Stories, July 1929)

August

“Broken Pontoons” (Air Stories, August 1929)

“Don Queue, Shepherd” (Northwest Stories, August 1929)

“Down for the Count” (Fight Stories, August 1929)

“Guns of Gobi” (Action Novels, August-September 1929)

“The Hop Toad” (Wings, August 1929)

“Loot of the Temple” (Frontier Stories, August 1929)

“Once a Marine” (Action Stories, August 1929)

September

“The Fighting Acting-Jack” (Fight Stories, September 1929)

“The Flying Crown” (Air Stories, September 1929)

“Speed-Mad” (Flyers, September 1929) Previously known as Air Adventures, the title became Flyers and AJB was added to the roster.

“Swords of Samar” (Soldier Stories, September 1929) This short-lived magazine was re-titled Detective Classics with the next issue and reprinted old Mystery fiction.