Black Mask Audio Magazine, Volume 1: Classic Hard-Boiled Tales from the Original Black Mask

Less music would be better.

In the1920's and 30's, America fell in love with detective stories. To meet the demand for crime fiction, several pulp magazines were born, featuring works of short detective fiction by a variety of authors who were unknown at the time, but who became very famous in the years hence. Dime Detective, Detective Story, and most famous Black Mask are just a few examples of these pulp magazines. Although Black Mask originally contained stories from a variety of genres such as adventure, western, and even romance, it was the hard-boiled detective stories that it is most known for today.Black Mask enjoyed a tremendous amount of success from its inception in 1920, until the late 30's when sales began to decline. This was about the time the comic book industry began to boom with the birth of Superman in 1938, and Batman in 1939. Still, Black Mask was faithfully published until its final issue was printed in 1951. Pulp magazines were the biggest trend in fiction during this period, offering readers a variety of content at a price almost anyone could afford, anywhere from 5 to 25 cents a copy. There were dozens of magazines to choose from, offering fiction from every genre. But of all the titles printed, only three are being preserved today in the Library of Congress' Rare Book and Special Collections Division: Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, and of course Black Mask.Now, for the first time, some of the more notable entries from the Black Mask files are being produced in an audio format. HighBridge Audio has already released three volumes in this exciting series, with nine more on the way. From what I've seen (or heard) so far, the collection of stories has been carefully selected, representing some of the most significant authors, stories, or recurring characters from the magazine's long run. At the beginning of each story, there is ashort, but fact-filled, description of the story, and what is significant about it. These descriptions provide some fascinating history on an important piece of American literature and pop-culture.In this first volume of the set, there is also a lengthy and in-depth introduction by Keith Alan Deutsche, current black Mask copyright owner and publisher of black Mask Magazine online. Few people living today know more about the illustrious history of black Mask than Deutsche, and he gives us not just a taste, but a tidy little snack, in his introduction. Deutsche discusses at length not only the magazine, but also the writers, editors, and publishers that made it great, and the pulp industry in general. It's a great addition to this set and definitely worth a listen.Also included in this first volume are:Introduction by Keith Alan Deutsch; read by Eric Conger"Come and Get It" by Erle Stanley Gardner; read by Oliver Wyman"Arson Plus" by Peter Collinson (Dashiell Hammett); read by Alan Sklar< /li>"Fall Guy" by George Harmon Coxe; read by Pete Larkin"Doors in the Dark" by Frederick Nebel; read by Pete Larkin< /li>"Luck" by Lester Dent; read by Jeff GurnerOf special note in this volume are the stories by Earle Stanley Gardner, creator of pulp hero PerryMason; Dashielle Hammett, creator of one of the most famous detectives of all, Sam Spade, writing under one of his pen names, Peter Collinson; and Lester Dent, creator of mega-pulp hero, doc Savage. Not a bad way to start off the series!As to the narrators, all of whom are listed above, I confess I've never heard of any of them. I do believe, however, that they were well chosen for this project. They all sound kind of tough and gritty, almost like Marlboro men, matching the black and white film noire feel of these stories quite nicely.The quality of the productions themselves are up to HighBridge's usual high standards, so you need not worry about that. If you're a fan of pulp fiction or crime fiction, you will definitely want to add Black Mask to your collection. Don't miss out!

I can't wait for volume 2. The choice of stories was excellent. Each of them wonderfully produced and delightfully acted.The spoken word is as powerful as it is enjoyable. Often times we are in such a hurry, we just don't take time to read carefully. The advantage, in this case, of audio over reading to yourself, is that you can't speed things up or skim or skip to find out what happens.Speed reading, photo reading...what a waste of time and abandonment of true pleasure. Wordsworth is still right. Read in the spirit the author wrote.In this fast food and throwaway culture this marvelous first volume of Black Mask stories is a keeper and maybe, just maybe, it will remind you of what reading is supposed to be about and unlock many unexpected pleasures.Grab a double dry martini, a pack of camels, turn off the lights and escape completely from mediocrity. This work was a genuine labor of love. Buy it and reward those that still believe in excellence!"Copyboy!"

This is the real Pulp Fiction, undiluted and un-Hollywood-ized by Quentin Tarantino. The old school of mystery novels, the original. These should be sold in magazine stands, I can see this style having a huge come back. Should be read alone under the covers at night with a flashlight. If an audio cd, even better. Lots of fun. Enjoy!

This generous collection of Black Mask classics held my interest throughout. The stories are suspenseful, and the actors are top-grade. I was sorry when I finished the last CD.

Just my opinion, but over produced and over acted. Some of the music and sound effects sound electronic and very out of place, considering the time period.

For we older people this is pretty close to the radio of youth. To younger people, it might be fun. ssh