The Hardboiled Omnibus

by Joseph T. Shaw

Contents: Lester Dent, “Sail” (1936); Reuben Jennings Shay, “Taking His Time” (1931); Ramon Decolta (Raoul Whitfield), “Death in the Pasig” (1930); Raymond Chandler, “The Man Who Liked Dogs” (1936); Dashiell Hammett, “Fly Paper” (1929); Raoul Whitfield, “Inside Job” (1932); Norbert Davis, “Red Goose” (1934); Paul Cain (Peter Ruric), “Red 71” (1932); Thomas Walsh, “Best Man” (1934); Ed Lybeck, “Kick-Back” (1932); Roger Torrey, “Clean Sweep” (1934); and Theodore Tinsley, “South Wind” (1932).

Genres: Crime, Short Stories, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1946

About the author

Joseph Thompson "Cap" Shaw (1874–1952) was the editor of Black Mask magazine from 1926 to 1936. Prior to becoming Black Mask editor, Shaw had worked as a newspaper reporter and as a soldier in World War I, attaining the rank of captain (Shaw's friends gave him the nickname "Cap"). Shaw was also a professional fencer, and even won an Olympic medal for his fencing ability. Under his editorship, Black Mask published many works of crime fiction now recognised as classics of the genre, by authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Erle Stanley Gardner.

Chandler greatly admired Shaw's ability to encourage Black Mask writers, claiming in a letter, "We wrote better for him than we could have written for anybody else".

Despite Black Mask's critical and commercial popularity, Shaw was eventually fired from the magazine. Shaw then worked as a literary agent. He died in Manhattan aged 77.

Reviews

[Christopher (Donut) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago, and would read it again just to refresh my memory.

As best as I can recall, it was all good stuff.

Captain Shaw, the editor of Black Mask, and the compiler of this "omnibus," had impeccable taste.

I will say that the much wider ranging The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories is not as good, just because it goes beyond the "hard boiled" Hammett-dominated era. Black Mask continued, but the Black Mask style moved to Dime Detective no later than 1936.

[Kamakana · Rating 3 out of 5]

090718: as an intro to the development of ‘hard-boiled’ (reference to time of boiling eggs until solid), particularly in Black Mask pulp, covers 1930-34, has one story each of names chandler, hammett, but also shows how it is not yet ‘literature’. as characters there are corrupt and honest police, there are a lot of newspaper and reporters in general, in writing skill not poetic but efficient, in cynical, slang-heavy dialogue... probably translates better in French...

i know mostly science fiction books of that era, know names i have read because someone said that they are classic: such is not the case here. these are covering that era, when crime has left the country house hunting grounds of detectives who are dedicated amateurs, when crime is a rational puzzle, where you might have police but that is after the understanding of who done it, and characters are type if not stereo- this is the ‘mean streets’ and our classic detective is used to examine society from the penthouse to the gutter, when the answer is definitely more complex...

(lost continuation...) these works from 'black mask' are the birth pains of hard-boiled style: from 1930 to 34, best read in order, one story time, but this is not how i became interested in this style, i read this actually after some 'crime fiction' which privileges the criminal and there is little detection, but of hard-boiled i began to read names, then books, and get some immediate sense- cynical laconic dialogue, no extra description of characters, of himself and others and criminals- 'story' is what counts and brief talking fits well in movies or graphic work...

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you can get a hold of this book, it is a great overview by the editor that brought Black Mask to it's place of prominence in history. Not to miss if you love this kind of stuff.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely one for hard-boiled fans. The 15 stories in this collection were first published in Black Mask magazine during the 1930s. Among the authors are Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Most feature police, newspaper reporters, and private detectives. Murder is the common theme.

I expected neatly crafted, strongly plotted stories, but they are by and large loose-jointed, rambling narratives, one damn thing after another. Most are exemplary exercises in hard-boiled attitude, unsentimental and jaundiced, the language heavily salted with street slang. The excesses make them fun to read, albeit in short gulps, which is why it took me months to get through the whole lot.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtitle: "Early Stories From Black Mask" (a crime-story magazine).

15 short stories by 15 different writers; published from 1929 to 1936. Authors include Hammett, Chandler, and 13 lesser-known names.

The quality is mixed, but overall it's entertaining.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: twelve short stories by well-known authors of hard-boiled crime mysteries.