If you missed the last one…
1937 and 1938 see a bit of a rallying in the amount of Science Fiction and Fantasy in the Argosy. Edgar Rice Burroughs appears several times. A. Merritt gets reprinted while newcomers like Lester Dent and Martin McCall appear for a second time. If you want extra Merritt-style adventure, George Challis (a pseudonym of Frederick Faust, better known as Max Brand) has “The Smoking Land”.
1937
Seven Worlds to Conquer (aka Back to the Stone Age) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (January 9-February 13, 1937) in six parts, is the story of Von Horst who got left behind in Pellucidar after Tarzan at the Earth’s Core (1929). ERB chose a German character for his hero to try and repair some of his market loss in Germany after Tarzan the Untamed. The wings on that T. rex always make me shake my head… The best scene in the book is the sabertooth tigers attacking the mammoth, drawn by Frank Frazetta decades later.
“The Book of Golden Leaves” by Alex Key (January 16, 1937)
“Eye in the Sky” by Ronal Kayser as by Dale Clark (January 16, 1937)
“The Valley of the Magic Men” by Richard Wormser (January 30, 1937)
Z Is for Zombie by Theodore Roscoe (February 6-March 13, 1937) in six parts, has Roscoe return to voodoo as a theme. This novel isn’t considered supernatural but A Grave Must Be Deep (1934) was. With Roscoe it is always fifty-fifty whether you get monsters or Scooby-Doo.
“Confidence Flight” by Carl Henry Rathjen (February 6, 1937)
“The Resurrection of Jimber-Jaw” by Edgar Rice Burroughs (February 20, 1937) tells of a caveman cut out of the ice and his tragic story among modern humans. A comedic version of the idea was called Encino Man (1992). Burroughs wasn’t the first to use the frozen caveman in a story either. This wasn’t Burroughs’ first caveman-in-time story either. He wrote “Sweetheart Primeval” (All-Story Cavalier Weekly, January 23-February 13, 1915) with Nu of the Niocene coming to our time then returning with his mate. This time with Jimber-Jaw, ERB writes an unusually down-beat ending.
“Speak to Me of Death” by Cornell Woolrich (February 27, 1937) is not an overtly supernatural story (it has psychic ability in it) but it was included in The Fantastic Stories of Cornell Woolrich (1981) edited by Charles G. Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg. The story was expanded into the novel, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1945). It was filmed in 1948.
“Locusts from Asia” • serial by Joel Townsley Rogers (April 17-24, 1937), in two parts.
“A Ghost in the House” by Ronal Kayser as by Dale Clark (May 8, 1937)
The Smoking Land by George Challis (May 29-June3, 1937) in six part, is an A. Merritt style strange Northern by the same man who wrote as Max Brand. Frederick Philip Faust wrote under a number of pseudonyms, saving his real name for his poetry. The novel was reprinted in A. Merritt’s Fantasy Magazine, February 1950.
“At Noon: Beware” by Carl Henry Rathjen (July 10, 1937)
Drink We Deep by Arthur Leo Zagat (July 31-September 4, 1937) in six parts, features evil spirits under the ground and heavenly ones above. This truly fantastic novel was reprinted in Fantastic Novels, January 1951. Zagat will become a familiar face at Argosy at this point even though he was very busy writing Shudder Pulps.
Kingdom Come by Martin McCall (August 28-October 2, 1937) in six parts, was McCall’s second novel. This time it is a future war in which he quite accurately picks Nazis for the next enemy. I wonder how people reacted to this tale if the came across it a few year later?
Genius Jones by Lester Dent (November 27, 1937-January 1, 1938) in six parts, is Lester Dent’s next amazing character. Jones, with his machine gun in the Arctic, looks so much like Doc Savage. Doc was featured in several strange Northerns, most by Dent. Lester had an affection for the polar region, placing Doc’s Fortress of Solitude there. Jerry Siegel would swipe the idea for Superman’s giant ice palace.
“The Wonderful Lips of Thibong Linh” by Theodore Roscoe (December 4, 1937) is one in the Thibault Corday series. Some, but not all of these tales, are fantastic. I have included this one because from this point on they are filled with magic.
1938
Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (January 8-February 12, 1938) in six parts, was the third Amtor novel. The cover prominently featured Napier’s new airplane that he would fly around Venus in. He and Duare found it much easier to jump from adventure to adventure. This was the last of the Argosy Venus novels. The next one would appear in segments in Ray A. Palmer’s Pulps.
London Skies Are Falling Down by Garnett Radcliffe (January 15-February 19, 1938) in six parts, is another future war novel. The author, Radcliffe, was English. The novel stars the brave flyers of the R. A. F. fighting against the Reitzenists (thinly veiled Nazis). The images of the Battle of Britain come to mind immediately (still 2 years away!) Radcliffe also published Horror fiction in Weird Tales in the 1950s.
“Featherfingers” by Richard Wormser (January 15, 1938)
“Perseus Had a Helmet” by Richard Sale (February 5, 1938), the first Captain McGrail story.
“The Golden Glyphs” by Logan Ancram (February 19, 1938)
“The Enchanted Mug” by Richard Sale (March 5, 1938)
The Red Star of Tarzan (aka Tarzan and the Forbidden City) by Edgar Rice Burroughs (March 19 – April 23, 1938) in six parts, was called the second worst Tarzan novel by Richard A. Lupoff (after Tarzan and the Leopard Men.) ERB had been writing Tarzan for twenty-four years. It should be no surprise it is a pot-boiler. (As I have said many times before, I’d rather read the worst Tarzan novel than have to wade through the most brilliant mainstream book. That’s just who I am.) Thanks to Erbzine for the images.
“Dehydrox” by Charles A. Crawford (June 25, 1938)
Three Against the Stars by Eric North (July 2-30, 1938) was reprinted from Melbourne Herald 1924, as “The Satyr” in five parts. This is my kind of tale! Looking at that cover, there is no doubt this is a fantastic piece. Eric North was Bernard Charles Cronin, a British author. (Not to be confused with Andre Norton’s pseudonym “Andrew North”.) This novel is a reprint from an Australian newspaper. The novel was reprinted in Fantastic Novels, May 1950.
“Round Trip” by Eustace Cockrell (July 2, 1938)
“The Invasion of America” by Frederick C. Painton (July 16-August 20, 1938) , in six parts
“Board Fence” by Murray Leinster (July 23, 1938)
“Pieces of Silver” by Davis Dresser (July 30, 1938)
“I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead” by Howard Rigsby (August 27, 1938)
“Karpen the Jew” by Robert Neal Leath (September 3, 1938) is a much reprinted tale because of its Christmas elements. Advice from the Wandering Jew. It was reprinted in Famous Fantastic Mysteries, September-October 1939 and Super Science and Fantastic Stories, October 1945.
“The Matchless Mr. Mallet” by Judson P. Philips (October 1, 1938)
“Bluebeard’s Closet” by H. Bedford-Jones (October 8, 1938) the first of the Halfway House stories to appear in Argosy. Three earlier ones appeared in All-American Magazine. Halfway House is the collection of occult and arcane items. Visitors who go there get a flashback tale of the importance of an item. The same idea was used on the Radio program, The Black Museum, in 1952. Bedford-Jones had several fantastic series, and some of them worked the same way, with a frame that allowed to tell different stories.
“Death Had a Pencil” by Richard Sale (October 8, 1938)
The Ship of Ishtar by A. Merritt (October 29-December 3, 1938) was reprinted from Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 8 1924 and appeared in six parts.
“Isle of the Dead” by H. Bedford-Jones (November 5, 1938) is another Halfway House tale.
“Cleopatra’s Amulet” by H. Bedford-Jones (November 19, 1938) is another Halfway House tale.
“Peabody’s War” by Richard Sale (November 19, 1938)
“Nymphs, Professor” by William P. Templeton (November 26, 1938)
“Island in the Sky” by Arthur Leo Zagat (December 17, 1938) Arthur C. Clarke would make that title more famous in 1952.
“Mr. Primrose Goes to the Devil” by William P. Templeton (December 17, 1938)
Conclusion
1937 and 1938 offered a wide array of stories and themes. The one thing that ties them altogether is the covers by Rudolph Belarski. At the beginning of 1937, Emmett Watson is the cover artist but he is replaced by Belarski who will become the solitary artist in 1939. Watson had a dreamy feel in his covers. Belarski’s are crisper with more action. Before his gig at Argosy, Rudy had painted covers for Ned Pines and the Thrilling magazines. These detective, war, flying and adventure covers gave Belarski the range to do Argosy artwork. Since the magazine was a generalist publications, the cover artist would do a Western one month and Science Fiction the next. After the Pulps, Belarski would take that experience and paint covers for the Men’s magazines like For Men Only, Man’s Conquest, Man’s Illustrated.
