Seven keys to Baldpate, #01/13 (1913) by Earl Derr Biggers (1884-1933)
♦ an author's dream: first a successful serial, then a best-selling book, then syndicated to the newpapers, then a smash Broadway play, then a movie (eight times!)
- this is the work we would remember Biggers for if he hadn't later invented Charlie Chan!

S O S : Stand to! #01/11 (1918, 1919 ed) by Sgt Reginald Grant, C.E.F. (probably 1896-1961)
♦ the first night in the trenches and an experience as a sacrifice gunner.
♦ nicknamed "Horseshoe" for his continuous luck, Grant enthralled readers and lecture audiences with his three years of escapes and heroism at the front.

"The finger on the blind" (1901) by Headon Hill (1857-1927)
♦ the real estate agent assures the couple that they have chosen a quiet neighbourhood.

A story of a weir-wolf (1846) by Catherine Crowe (1803-1876)
♦ Manon loves Michael, but he loves Françoise even though he's engaged to Clemence. Witchcraft must be involved.
- seems like a straightforward deduction in olden-days France.

"Binkley's practical school of journalism" (c. 1895-96) by W. Sidney Porter ["O. Henry," 1862-1910]
♦ one of O Henry's early efforts, not republished in his lifetime.
♦ Mr. Binkley's great scheme is to let cub reporters pay *HIM* for the experience of writing for his paper
- in reality, a lack of editorial control doesn't have to be a problem, as per this 1885 news blurb "A newspaper without an editor."

An evening with the witchfinders, 01/03 (1847)
♦ attributed to Rev Henry Ferris (c 1800-1848)

"Murder mysteries: Some famous crimes recalled by the Preller-Maxwell Affair" (1885)
♦ anonymous syndicated article listing previous unsolved murders. This article was prompted by the supposed mystery around the contemporary Preller-Maxwell Affair. The author lists some cases which were hoary chestnuts even in 1885.
♦ Note: The Preller-Maxwell case was not a true mystery since the police had documents proving motive and culprit. It was rather a lingering confusion of delicacy which had the press tongue-tied and kept the public uninformed. Even this article does not discuss it.
- it was a gay shipboard romance gone wrong. That story can be read at historicalcrime.com

Fables: original and from the French (1887) by Sarah Anne Curzon (1833-1898)
♦ translations of fables by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian (1755-1794)

"Sightless couriers of the air" (1895) by anonymous
♦ Florence and Harry are heading socially downward. Then Florence goes blind. A well-meaning doctor investigates.
- "sightless couriers of the air" is a quote from MacBeth, by which Shakspur is describing invisible (not blind) winds bearing messages.

Great cases of the world's greatest detectives, #02/12: Chief Kelly and the deserted house (1907) by George Barton (1866-1940)
♦ the post-rebellion moonshiners avoided government control, until Francis R Kelly got on their trail.

Daughter of witches, #02/11 (1898~99) by Joanna E Wood (1867-1927)
♦ romantic aspirations tenderly drawn.

Diana Marburg, #02/03: Finger-tips (1902) by L T Meade (1844–1914) & "Robert Eustace" [Eustace Robert Barton, 1854–1943]
♦ Marburg despises entertaining houseguests with her palm-reading, but when a fabulous jewel is stolen, she has the "upper hand".

Silver Star; or, The mystery of Fontelle Hall, #02/13 (1861) by "Cousin May Carleton" [May Agnes Fleming, 1840-1880]
♦ Capt Disbrowe spends a perilous night before completing his journey to the De Veres.

Azim Khan's captive: a tale of the Indian Mutiny, #02/05 (1894) by "an Australian writer"
♦ set during the Sepoy Mutiny (1857~59), this story sees the British only as victims, earning a stink+25%.

The golden flood, #02/03 (1905) by Edwin Lefèvre (1871–1943)
♦ can a bank have TOO MUCH of a good thing? Why does the gold keep coming?

The general manager's story, #02/04: Firing a locomotive (1898) by Herbert E Hamblen (1849-1908)
♦ drawn from fifteen years' experience as brakeman, fireman, and engineer.
- sidelight: essay from The [New York] Sun about the value of "Bald Heads as Railroad Signals" (1904)

From baseball to Boches, #02/11: Second inning (1918) by H C Witwer (1890–1929)
♦ former pitcher, Ed Harmon, makes the perilous ocean crossing and comments on English and French culture.

In the secret service, #02/13: How the plans of Pretoria were won (1901) by Robert J Buckley (?-?)
♦ Hallam aids the British in the Boer War.

Modern Free Lance, #02/03: A tale of treasure trove (1906) by M H de Hora (?-?)
♦ a true adventure of treasure-seeking.

Haunted ancestral homes, #02/13: The "Brown Lady" of Raynham Castle (1892) by Henry Frith (1840-1917)
♦ multiple sightings support the existence of this ghost

"Losing Lena" (1868) by Mrs Henry Wood [aka, Ellen Price, 1814-1887]
♦ Tod Todhetley's practical joke goes awry. He suspects gypsies.

Underground London, #02/05 (1861) by John Hollingshead (1827–1904).
♦ another stroll through London's sewers.

OCTOBER PLAY: Pharoah's knob (1919) by Edith J Craine (1881-?)
♦ a harmless all-girls comedy on the surface, about mischief in a hotel followed by some spoof detection
♦ it would be unfair to accuse this children's author of prejudice, since she could have, but avoided specifying a popular stereotype in her cast. Nevertheless, there is a whiff of "plantation humour" about one of the characters.
- titles of plays by other authors, listed in this series, show no reluctance to spell out the need for burned cork
- the offensive list alone, and not the play itself, earns this item a stink+25% rating, and carries a LANGUAGE WARNING.

GREAT LITERATURE IN PILL FORM: Condensed Classic Series: Pendennis (1849~50; 1919 ed) by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863)