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Malay Collins: Master Thief of the East
Malay Collins: Master Thief of the East • interior artwork by William Streib
5 • The Eye of Black A'Wang • (1930) • short story by Murray Leinster
25 • The Emerald Buddha • (1930) • novelette by Murray Leinster
48 • The Black Stone of Agharti • (1930) • novelette by Murray Leinster
72 • Appendix (Malay Collins: Master Thief of the East) • essay by uncredited
74 • About the Author (Malay Collins: Master Thief of the East) • essay by uncredited
5 • The Eye of Black A'Wang • (1930) • short story by Murray Leinster
25 • The Emerald Buddha • (1930) • novelette by Murray Leinster
48 • The Black Stone of Agharti • (1930) • novelette by Murray Leinster
72 • Appendix (Malay Collins: Master Thief of the East) • essay by uncredited
74 • About the Author (Malay Collins: Master Thief of the East) • essay by uncredited
Paperback
Published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Murray Leinster
898 books121 followerssee also:
Will F. Jenkins
William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.
An author whose career spanned the first six decades of the 20th Century. From mystery and adventure stories in the earliest years to science fiction in his later years, he worked steadily and at a highly professional level of craftsmanship longer than most writers of his generation. He won a Hugo Award in 1956 for his novelet “Exploration Team,” and in 1995 the Sidewise Award for Alternate History took its name from his classic story, “Sidewise in Time.” His last original work appeared in 1967.
Will F. Jenkins
William Fitzgerald Jenkins
Murray Leinster was a nom de plume of William Fitzgerald Jenkins, an award-winning American writer of science fiction and alternate history. He wrote and published over 1,500 short stories and articles, 14 movie scripts, and hundreds of radio scripts and television plays.
An author whose career spanned the first six decades of the 20th Century. From mystery and adventure stories in the earliest years to science fiction in his later years, he worked steadily and at a highly professional level of craftsmanship longer than most writers of his generation. He won a Hugo Award in 1956 for his novelet “Exploration Team,” and in 1995 the Sidewise Award for Alternate History took its name from his classic story, “Sidewise in Time.” His last original work appeared in 1967.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
July 10, 2025
This collection consists of three short stories that Murray Leinster wrote for publication in the magazine Short Stories.
Specifically:
"The Eye of Black A'Wang" (January 1930).
"The Emerald Buddha" (February 10, 1930).
"The Black Stone of Agharti" (September 10, 1930).
I do not know much about this magazine, but I'll be looking it up to find out more. The stories were collected for reprint by Black Dog Books, my favorite small publisher. The collection ends with two non-fiction articles unattributed but no doubt written by Tom Roberts, the publisher's main (only?) editor. They are about the character and the author respectively and are very illuminating.
This is adventure, or maybe crime fiction, sub-genre the heist, set in Asia back in the early part of last century. It's not really my reading bailiwick, hence my modest rating of the book. Also, I found the stories a bit long in narration and a bit short of scene and dialog, typical of pulp fiction at that time. This limited my enjoyment of the stories, but might not limit everyone's.
That said, it was fun to read of the adventures of our white (and Collins' race does get undue stress from Leinster) master thief perpetrating his trade in exotic locales of the East. He is a thief with honor, particularly in the latter two stories, and steals for good. I wonder if that was the only way to get a protagonist thief published in 1930.
The interest in these stories won't be the capers so much. They will be in the interesting locales and supporting characters. If you pick up this volume, and it's not at all easy to find, your time won't be wasted. You will have the opportunity to read something almost no one else living has.
Specifically:
"The Eye of Black A'Wang" (January 1930).
"The Emerald Buddha" (February 10, 1930).
"The Black Stone of Agharti" (September 10, 1930).
I do not know much about this magazine, but I'll be looking it up to find out more. The stories were collected for reprint by Black Dog Books, my favorite small publisher. The collection ends with two non-fiction articles unattributed but no doubt written by Tom Roberts, the publisher's main (only?) editor. They are about the character and the author respectively and are very illuminating.
This is adventure, or maybe crime fiction, sub-genre the heist, set in Asia back in the early part of last century. It's not really my reading bailiwick, hence my modest rating of the book. Also, I found the stories a bit long in narration and a bit short of scene and dialog, typical of pulp fiction at that time. This limited my enjoyment of the stories, but might not limit everyone's.
That said, it was fun to read of the adventures of our white (and Collins' race does get undue stress from Leinster) master thief perpetrating his trade in exotic locales of the East. He is a thief with honor, particularly in the latter two stories, and steals for good. I wonder if that was the only way to get a protagonist thief published in 1930.
The interest in these stories won't be the capers so much. They will be in the interesting locales and supporting characters. If you pick up this volume, and it's not at all easy to find, your time won't be wasted. You will have the opportunity to read something almost no one else living has.
Displaying 1 of 1 review