A Quartet Of Mystery/Thriller Pulp Covers

It saddens me to think of how many vintage pulp paperbacks I had in my collection, hundreds at least, and many of them first printings with covers rendered by some of the most recognizable artists of that era. From Raymond Chandler to James M. Cain to Cornell Woolrich to Dash Hammet to Paul Cain to Jim Thompson and others. This included a variety of boddice rippers, as well as vintage 40s-era editions from the likes of Georges Simenon, and Kenneth Fearing. 

What I have left to share here is paltry, but these four represent a couple masters of the genre in Erle Stanly Gardner, creator of Perry Mason who also wrote as A.A. Fair, and the British maven, Margery Allingham who created Albert Campion, and had a knack for penning some clever titles from the period I think of as the height of the locked room British detective story which gave us such talented women writers as Dorothy Sayers, Josephine Tey, the New Zealander Ngaio Marsh, Agatha Christie and, a little later on, P.D. James, and so many more.

 

Below are a pair of what I'd call thriller type of mysteries or detective stories, full of action, and following the lead of Ian Fleming with James Bond, or John D. McDonald with Travis McGee, or Mickey Spillane with Mike Hammer, or John LeCarre with George Smiley. 

A personal favorite has always been the Canadian Ross MacDonald who in Chandler's shadow created Lew Archer and wrote with subtlety and finesse about the seedier lurid elements of Los Angeles and Southern California, generally. Writing after him have been the likes of Michael Connolly, Sue Grafton, and James Ellroy, all a pleasure to read.

It's easy to forget that reading fiction wasn't always just about fulfilling assignments at school. For many, it was a form of quiet relaxation and pleasure that cost little money and allowed one to travel, so to speak, and live vicariously through the adventures and deeds of select heroes. 

I think I know someone who uses this surname. Hmmm....