Nightstick and nozzle, ep# 01/24 (1906) Seward W Hopkins (1863-1919)
♦ Lenox is a cop; Garvin, his best friend, is a fire fighter. Together they are injured rescuing guests from a burning hotel. During their recovery, they find time to investigate a mystery, in which they have become entangled.
- sometimes pulpy, always interesting.

Bar 20 yarns, #01/03: The fight at Buckskin (1905) by Clarence E Mulford (1883-1956)
♦ the first story of a loooooong series of Westerns; of all the recurring characters introduced, Hopalong Cassidy stands out.
- WARNING: this is not your grandparents' Hopalong from Saturday matinées; the original Hoppy is scrappy and violent.

When to Lock the Stable 01/17 (1914, 1915 ed) by Homer Croy (1883-1965)
♦ author and editor Homer Croy was one of the most liked people in the literary business, and while his settings might be folksy, he holds his characters to account for their foibles.

"The golden gospel of ugliness" (1893) by H G Wells (1866-1946)
♦ there was nothing scientific about Wells' first published book, Select conversations with an uncle. It was a group of imagined diatribes, given irregularly in The Pall Mall Gazette.
- first Johnny Ludlow, then O. Henry, and now H G Wells. This is the third week in a row we have managed to reprint uncollected work by famous authors.

"Footpads" (1871) by Harriet Prescott Spofford (1835-1921)
♦ the author wistfully reminisces about all the times she and her husband were importuned by flim-flammery.

"The battle of Edge Hill and its ghost story" (1895) by W W H.
♦ the battle is historical; as for the rest of it...

"The lost diamond" (1860) by Fanny L Mace
♦ a young student is commanded by his dead relative to search for the family fortune.

"With the help of the Demon" (1903) by Theodore Waters
♦ Jordan is stationed in Ceylon; he fancies a local girl, but her family objects.

"The fable of a certain king who sought a new pleasure" (1916) by Bruce Barton (1886-1967)

Seven keys to Baldpate, #02/13 (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!)

S O S : Stand to! #02/11 (1918, 1919 ed) by Sgt Reginald Grant, C.E.F. (probably 1896-1961)
♦ gas and discovery of more enemy spies.

Great cases of the world's greatest detectives, #03/12: Pinkerton and the great safe robbery (1907) by George Barton (1866-1940)
♦ one of the Pinkerton brothers sleuths hard *AND* gets lucky.

Daughter of witches, #03/11 (1898~99) by Joanna E Wood (1867-1927)
♦ the local congregation gathers to pray for rain. A fascinating and satisfying chapter.

Diana Marburg, #03/03: Sir Penn Caryll's engagement (1902) by L T Meade (1844–1914) & "Robert Eustace" [Eustace Robert Barton, 1854–1943]
♦ Caryll's passion for horse-racing is undercut by a spy in his stables.

Silver Star; or, The mystery of Fontelle Hall, #03/13 (1861) by "Cousin May Carleton" [May Agnes Fleming, 1840-1880]
♦ Grizzle Howlett confounds the De Veres; Capt Disbrowe lets down his guard.

"A knight errant" (c. 1895-96) by W. Sidney Porter ["O. Henry," 1862-1910]
♦ the Houston Post man witnesses

Another evening with the witchfinders, 02/03 (1847)
♦ attributed to Rev Henry Ferris (c 1800-1848)

Azim Khan's captive: a tale of the Indian Mutiny, #03/05 (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, #03/03: The paradoxical panic (1905) by Edwin Lefèvre (1871–1943)
♦ revelations and conclusion to the banking mystery.

The general manager's story, #03/04: Adventures of a freight engineer (1898) by Herbert E Hamblen (1849-1908)
♦ wearing out a new engine in one trip; a miraculous run down a mountain; fifty-two hours on the road without rest

From baseball to Boches, #03/11: Third inning (1918) by H C Witwer (1890–1929)
♦ more letters from Vivela, France, where Ed's training intensifies.

In the secret service, #03/13: The mysterious Russian (1901) by Robert J Buckley (?-?)
♦ as critics at the time said, Buckley is quick to condemn foreign agents for their dirty tricks, but when the British try them ....

Modern Free Lance, #03/03: The affair at Tuiuti (1906) by M H de Hora (?-?)
♦ a South American revolution is hatched in 1867.

Haunted ancestral homes, #03/13: The mystery of the Littlecot Hall; or, The last of the Darbelles (1892) by Henry Frith (1840-1917)
♦ a doula is snatched from her cottage in the night; she witnesses unforgiveable things.

"Finding both of them" (1868) by Mrs Henry Wood [aka, Ellen Price, 1814-1887]
♦ Johnny & Tod think they have discovered some missing people, highly sought after.

Underground London, #03/05 (1861) by John Hollingshead (1827–1904).
♦ rural vs urban; public vs private; there's many types of sewers to choose from for the author's next sojourn..

GREAT LITERATURE IN PILL FORM: Il barbiere di Siviglia
History and plot of Rossini's "The barber of Seville" (1909) by H E Krehbiel (1854-1923)