Occult Detectives Stories from the Pulps!

[Sjmiller CPG]

Was just sitting smoking a bowl of KBV Mycroft and thinking I need to try the KBV blend The Patience of Dr. Silence next. Dr. John Silence was an occult detective that appeared in six short stories by Algernon Blackwood. Silence was just one of many occult detectives that appeared in pulp magazines. Others included Jules de Grandin (my personal favorite), John Thunstone, Carnacki the Ghost Finder, Flaxman Lowe and so on.

Was just curious if anyone else here had read any of the stories.

Just to give all pertinent info:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulppaper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazines printed on higher-quality paper were called "glossies" or "slicks". The typical pulp magazine had 128 pages; it was 7 inches (18 cm) wide by 10 inches (25 cm) high, and 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick, with ragged, untrimmed edges.

 

[Grangerous]

Pulp Fiction. No I have not but learn something new everyday.

 

[fMf Piper]

Pulp Fiction. No I have not but learn something new everyday.

Same here, but sounds interesting.

 

[jguss]

Was just sitting smoking a bowl of KBV Mycroft and thinking I need to try the KBV blend The Patience of Dr. Silence next. Dr. John Silence was an occult detective that appeared in six short stories by Algernon Blackwood. Silence was just one of many occult detectives that appeared in pulp magazines. Others included Jules de Grandin (my personal favorite), John Thunstone, Carnacki the Ghost Finder, Flaxman Lowe and so on.

Was just curious if anyone else here had read any of the stories.

Just to give all pertinent info:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulppaper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazines printed on higher-quality paper were called "glossies" or "slicks". The typical pulp magazine had 128 pages; it was 7 inches (18 cm) wide by 10 inches (25 cm) high, and 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick, with ragged, untrimmed edges.

No I haven’t, but it sounds like great stuff. I am familiar with other pulp genres though; hero (Shadow, Spider, Doc Savage, G-8), hard boiled detective (Hammett, Chandler, Cain), fantasy (REH, ERB), horror (HPL, CAS), adventure (more REH, more ERB), etc.

 

[Sjmiller CPG]

No I haven’t, but it sounds like great stuff. I am familiar with other pulp genres though; hero (Shadow, Spider, Doc Savage, G-8), hard boiled detective (Hammett, Chandler, Cain), fantasy (REH, ERB), horror (HPL, CAS), adventure (more REH, more ERB), etc.

G-8 and his Battle Aces are my favorite in the hero genre. World War I pilots, horror, and science fiction all rolled into one.

 

[shanez]

I love Dr Silence stories but I might be biased as Algernon Blackwood is one of my favorite authors.

Carnacki is great also.

I listen to a youtoob channel called "Horrorbabble" and the narrator, Ian Gordon, does a great job with both Silence and Carnacki. He has written his own series in the genre with the lead character named Van Melsen and the stories are quite good.

 

[Sjmiller CPG]

I love Dr Silence stories but I might be biased as Algernon Blackwood is one of my favorite authors.

Carnacki is great also.

I listen to a youtoob channel called "Horrorbabble" and the narrator, Ian Gordon, does a great job with both Silence and Carnacki. He has written his own series in the genre with the lead character named Van Melsen and the stories are quite good.

I will have to take a look at those.

 

[shermnatman]

Was just curious if anyone else here had read any of the stories.

Absolutely!

In addition to Algernon Blackwood, I read all the so-called Lovecraft Circle writers: H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch (Psycho), August Derleth, Robert E. Howard (Conan), Fritz Leiber, etc, etc, etc; and, the writers who inspired them: M.R. James, Lord Dunsany, William Butler Yates, E.A. Poe (Tell-Tale Heart), Ambrose Bierce (An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge), etc, etc, etc.

This in addition to collecting hardback and paperback published works of these authors and their short-stories, then, there are the collected issues of the 1930-era Pulp Magazine Weird Tales; and, the 1960s-era B&W illustrated short-story magazines: Creepy, and Eerie.

Here's a picture - hoping you can zoom-in to see the titles and authors - from the Creepy Corner of the library in my study, one of seven bookcases of books anyway... So yes, you're in the right place.



If you specifically like short-stories told from the narrative orientation of the Investigating Detective who steps into the occult world of the weird and super-natural, as well as Pipe Smoking, try this little cross-over of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in the world of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos; while enjoying some of C&D's offerings which are named in tribute to H.P. Lovecraft in the same sitting:


If you have any recommendations for me - other than suggesting I seek professional help - PM me! - Sherm Natman

 

[Sjmiller CPG]

Fighters of Fear: Occult Detective Stories edited by Mike Ashley is a good starting point. Contains stories from both past and modern authors.

As for cross-overs, I really enjoyed Sherlock Holmes and the Occult Detectives edited by John Grant. A wonderful four volume set, in my opinion.

 

[jguss]

On the general subject of Holmes pastiches Derleth’s Solar Pons stories are fun. Arkham published several volumes of the short stories and Battered Silicon Dispatch Box did an omnibus.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Me... except that Sherlock Holmes stuff. Never cared for it. I prefer the Noir genre. Loose women, guns, car chases, back when men wore hats.

 

[Sjmiller CPG]

Never cared for loose women or car chases and I wear hats. Probably the reason I prefer unrealistic genres is because reality is so depressing these days.

 

[shermnatman]

Me... except that Sherlock Holmes stuff. Never cared for it. I prefer the Noir genre. Loose women, guns, car chases, back when men wore hats.

Brother @cosmicfolklore , check out any book by Erle Stanley Gardner - ala' Perry Mason - no Sherlock here, and no Occult.... just dangerous dames with great gams, murderous men in hats who smoke and curse, squealing punks who get what's coming to them, and plenty of gun-fire, knifing, boozing, gambling, and corruption in the gritty city, and late-nights back in the dressing rooms at the "Burly-Q" and "Cat Houses".

Stuff the TV presentation of Perry Mason could not even touch only elude to on TV.


Pick up any ESG paperback cheap on FleBay, and see it doesn't fit your pipe. Although you don't go in for the Weird Worlds we are talking about here, Since you and me are otherwise so much alike in our Excellent taste and discernment, I think you'll find these books "really jake!".

Here's one you can pick-up right now on FleBay for 0.99 cents... less than a pack of Super-Value Pipe Cleaners.


If you decide to give ESG a try, let me know what you think - your pally, Sherm "Hard-Boiled" Natman

 

[brian64]

squealing punks who get what's coming to them

Since you and me are otherwise so much alike in our Excellent taste and discernment

 

[anotherbob]

Never cared for loose women or car chases and I wear hats. Probably the reason I prefer unrealistic genres is because reality is so depressing these days.

don't worry hats are making a comeback.

 

[pappymac]

I've read quite a few of the old detective books. I liked Philip Marlow, Sam Spade, Ellery Queen, Nero Wolf and the Maigret books written by Georges Simenon. I also have read a lot of the Hercule Poirot books.

The late wife and I used to like to listen to the old radio detective shows (and some of the old westerns). Once we discovered we could find them on Sirius XM or Spotify, they became our favorite way to pass the time when on road trips or when we were just sitting around sometimes.

Now I mostly listen to them in the afternoons/early evening while enjoying a pipe and a glass. One of my favorites is the Johnny Dollar series about an insurance investigator.

 

[condorlover1]

@pappymac : Johnny Dollar? Aren't those based on @ashdigger!

 

[condorlover1]

I like Raymond Chandler and reading the books always made me want to visit LA. My favorite quote from Chandler is 'She gave me a smile I could feel in my hip pocket'!

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

By the way, If you're into Gardner’s style, you might also dig some Dashiell Hammett. The Maltese Falcon and Red Harvest have all the classic noir action: tough private eyes, scheming dames, and twisted plots. Raymond Chandler’s The Big Sleep is another classic if you haven’t picked it up yet—Philip Marlowe’s world is just as hard-boiled as Perry Mason's, with a little extra cynicism.

A not so clever spammer - editing quoted posts to slip in the crap as in your others. Not cool and pretty obvious.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Earlier this year, we released an Occult Detective issue of Weird Tales with a cover by yours truly.