The Fantastic in the Argosy in the 1920s makes sense after looking at Argosy in the 1930s. If you missed the 1930s, go here. No surprise, we see many familiar names even ten years earlier: Abraham Merritt, Murray Leinster, Ray Cummings, Francis Stevens, and J. U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith with Semi-Dual (and not for the first time!) There are also a crew of writers who would leave before the next decade like Jack Bechdolt and L. Patrick Greene who would write for Adventure later, Paul L. Anderson shows up a lot, and Garret Smith who would become an Amazing Stories writer by default.
The Torch by Jack Bechdolt (January 24 – February21, 1920) in five parts and reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries, April 1951. The novel is set in the year 3010 when Earth has been devastated by a passing comet. Fortune is an officer of the ruling townsmen. He is taken by his enemies, people who live on an island with a statue (The Statue of Liberty.) He ends up leading them in a revolt against their cruel masters. Even before The Planet of the Apes, Lady Liberty was important to Science Fiction.
“Without a Rehearsal” by Frank Blighton (January 24, 1920)
“The Son of the Red God” by Paul L. Anderson (January 31, 1920)
“The Fifth Sense” by John D. Swain (February 7, 1920) This author would write Horror for Weird Tales.
“A Priest of Quiche” by Francis James (February 14, 1920) Reprinted in Fantastic Novels Magazine, May 1950. A man is caught in a cycle of repeated violence.
“The House of the Echo” by Raber Mundorf (February 28, 1920)
“Claimed” by Francis Stevens (March 6-20, 1920) in three parts. Reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries, April 1941 and Super Science Stories (Canadian), October 1944. After a volcanic explosion, a millionaire uncovers a box from Atlantis. Anyone who touches the box suffers a terrible death. A young doctor must find the millionaire and his niece when strangers take them.
“The Lord of the Winged Death” by Paul L. Anderson (March 6, 1920)
“Whispering Rock” by Maxwell Smith (March 13, 1920)
“The Cave That Swims on the Water” by Paul L. Anderson (May 8, 1920) has a group of cavemen encounter a ship full of viking-like warriors.
“The Mad Planet” by Murray Leinster (June 12, 1920) Reprinted in Amazing Stories, November 1926, Tales of Wonder, #6 (March 1939), Super Science and Fantastic Stories, December 1944 and Fantastic Novels Magazine, November 1948. This opening story of three establishes Burl and his kind on the forgotten planet. The insects and plants are gigantic and the humans are low on the pecking order. Burl fights a giant spider (the usual cover art). “The Red Dust” will follow shortly. A final segment will be written in the 1950s.
Serapion by Francis Stevens (June 19-July 10, 1920) in four parts. Reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries, July 1942. This novel centers around the occult, with a nice couple meeting a less nice couple and doing a seance. The husband gets possessed by an evil spirit. This was Stevens’ second last piece with only “Sunfire” to appear afterwards.
“The Big Idea” by Ray Cummings (July 10, 1920) has a business man with a truly fantastic idea.
“The Master of Magic” by Paul L. Anderson (July 17, 1920) is another prehistoric drama in the style of H. G. Wells.
In August 1920, Argosy became Argosy All-Story Weekly as the publisher combined both magazines.
The Metal Monster by A. Merritt (August 7 – September 25, 1920) in eight parts Reprinted in Science and Invention (October 1927-August 1928) and Famous Fantastic Mysteries, August 1941. This novel is the sequel to The Moon Pool (1919) with Dr. Goodwin returning to face off against a living metal. The story takes place in the Himalayas this time, being another of Merritt’s lost world settings.
“The Soul of Henry Jones” by Ray Cummings (August 21, 1920)
“Wings of the Snow” by Paul L. Anderson (August 1928, 1920) sounds like a strange Northern.
“The Flying Ape” by F. D. Parden (September 25, 1920)
“The Sky Woman” by Charles B. Stilson (September 25, 1920) Reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries, February 1940 and Super Science and Fantastic Stories, August 1945. The woman from space was truly beautiful.
Black and White by J. U. Giesy and Junius B. Smith (October 2-23, 1920) a Semi-Dual mystery in four parts. As I said above, this tale is Number Twenty-Seven in the series. One of fiction’s greatest occult detectives.
“Retakes in Babylon” by Kenneth Perkins (October 2, 1920) has a Hollywood actor unsure if he is playing a part or really a king in ancient times.
What Was That? by Katharine Haviland Taylor (October 9 -November 13, 1920) in six parts has blackmail and angels.
“Fear” by L. Patrick Greene (October 16, 1920) He who is afraid dies many dies, not once.
“The Ape Woman” by John Charles Beecham (October 30, 1920) is a jungle adventure in the Haggard mode. Beecham only wrote one other piece, “Out of the Miocene” (The Popular Magazine, September-October 1914) , an early example of cavemen and dinosaurs around the time Edgar Rice Burroughs was getting into the game.
“The Flying Legion” by George Allan England (November 15-December 29, 1920) in six parts, has mercenaries equipped with flying machines attack Mecca. One of the amazing adaptations of their planes is a cloaking device. A melodramatic novel of adventure and intrigue. Reprinted in Air Wonder Stories, January February March April 1930 and Fantastic Novels, January 1950
“Beyond the Violet” by J. U. Giesy (November 27, 1920) is “A Different Story” (back before the coining of the words “Science Fiction”, told is a club, of course.) A soldier in World War I becomes a ghost then is pulled back into life by an explosion.
Treasures of Tantalus by Garret Smith (December 11, 1920- January 8, 1921) in five parts A sequel to “On the Brink of 2000” (Argosy, January 1910) starring Professor Fleckner. Reprinted in Amazing Stories, October November 1927. This tale has two distinct parts. The first segment is about Fleckner’s machine that allows him to see into any place and discovers a massive crime syndicate, which he takes over for honest purposes. The second segment has the machine see a distant world where iron is the metal of wealth instead of gold. The two stories merge at the end with Fleckner inventing a paint that blocks his machine. He gives privacy back to the world.
Conclusion
The fiction policy of 1920 doesn’t seem all that different from 1930. The editors like to have long five part serials (as well as shorter three parters), a number of short stories using similar ideas of lost worlds, amazing inventions, spirits from beyond, alien planets, jungle men (Tarzan has been around for eight years by this time). A. Merritt and Francis Stevens are appearing at the same time. (Some believe Stevens was a Merritt pseudonym, which wasn’t true. Merritt would later champion her work when Famous Fantastic Mysteries was looking for material to reprint.)
The one big departure that I did notice was that serials did not get any art except for the covers. Only the short stories received illustrations, as if the serial novels didn’t need the extra push while the stories did. That policy would change mid-year in the following year.
