Following in the footsteps of
Doubleday, Doran & Co.’s
entrance into the mystery series with its Crime Club series early in
1928,
Harper Brothers introduced in 1929 an unusual concept for its series.Each publication was to have a certain
portion of the mystery story sealed off from the reader at a climactic
point in
the story. If the reader wished to continue to discover the author’s
explanation and solution
to the committed crime(s), the reader would then have to break the seal
and
read on.
Should
the reader lose interest in the author’s story and
returned the book to the bookseller with the seal intact, the reader
would be
refunded the cost of the book.
In its first few months, Harper boasted of the fact that of
60,000 copies sold, only three had been returned.
In hindsight, the year1929 proved to be an inopportune time
to embark on a new venture.
Although business
seemed to be prospering for most of
the year, it was on October 29, 1929 that the bottom fell out of the
stock
market and initiated what was to be known as “the Great
Depression.” Every
business was affected by this downturn in the economy and the book
publishing business was no exception.
As a result, a few
publishing houses advocated cutting
retail prices for its books.This was
to take effect in mid-June of 1930. Even Doubleday, Doran & Co.’s
Crime
Club series was reduced from $2.00 to $1.00 for a period of time. And
the
Mystery League series of books, which began operations in mid-1930, was
retailing its books for 50 cents.
Yet, Harper Brothers stuck to its $2.00 retail price for its
mystery series and fiction books in general.
However, this decision did affect Harper’s overall
sales.By 1933, the income from its
sale of books and Harper’s
Magazinehad
dropped almost 60%.Some salary cuts
were made and no dividends were paid out. And so, Harper’s Sealed
Mystery
series passed into oblivion at the end of 1934.
It wasn’t until 1937 that Harper’s book business began to
improve as was the case of the book publishing business in general.
Today, finding fine copies of the books with dust jackets
and seals unbroken can be quite a challenge to any serious book
collector, but
there are some out there.
All author information is supplied from Allen J. Hubin’s Crime Fiction IV. A
special thanks to Bill Pronzini for providing many of the cover scans
shown
below.
In the following listing, the books are arranged
chronologically by publication date.
1929
2/1/1929
RICHARD KEVERNE,
pseudonym of Clifford (James Wheeler) Hosken, 1882-1950.
The Havering Plot.Pages 255-351 sealed.
* Advertisedin the NY Times
2/3/1929 and 4/7/1929.
2/15/1929
ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE,
1872-1942.
The Secret of
Sea-Dream House.Pages
251-340 sealed.
*
Advertised in the NY
Times
4/7/1929.
3/1/1929
MORAY DALTON, pseudonym
of Katherine M(ary Dalton) Renoir, 1881-1963.
One
by One They Disappeared.Pages
211-279 sealed
*
Advertised in the NY
Times
4/7/1929.
3/7/1929
LYNN BROCK, pseudonym
of Alister McAllister, 1877-1943.
The
Stoke Silver Case. Pages
217-308 sealed.
* Reviewed in
the LA Times
7/7/1929.
4/3/1929
MILTON M(ORRIS) PROPPER,
1906-1962.
The
Strange Disappearance of Mary Young.Pages
251-326 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
4/7/1929.
5/1/1929
STUART MARTIN, 1882- ?
Only
Seven Were Hanged.Pages
231-262 sealed.
* Reviewed in
the Atlanta
Constitution
5/12/1929
7/4/1929
FREEMAN
WILLS CROFTS,
1879-1957.
The
Purple Sickle Murders. Pages 195-284 sealed.
* Reviewed in
the NY Times
8/18/1929.
8/14/1929
RICHARD KEVERNE, pseudonym
of Clifford (James Wheeler) Hosken, 1882- 1950.
The
Sanfield Scandal.Pages 201-310
sealed.
11/7/1929
LYNN BROCK,
pseudonym of Alister
McAllister,
1877-1943.
Murder at the Inn.Pages
181-268 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times,
11/10/1929.
1930
1/15/1930
MARY
PLUM, 1904?- 1981?
The
Killing of Judge MacFarlane. Pages 249-292 sealed.
(Verified by Wonder Book, booksellers,
Frederick MD).
* Not
catalogued as a Harper
Sealed Mystery, but so designatedas such
in the Latest Books Received column,NY Times,
1/19/1930.
2/5/1930
JOHN DICKSON
CARR,
1906-1977.
It Walks by Night.pp. 211-328 sealed
3/5/1930
MILTON M(ORRIS) PROPPER, 1906-1962.
The
Ticker-Tape Murder.Pages 243-322
sealed.
ca. 3/5/1930
AUSTEN ALLEN, 1887- .
Menace to Mrs.
Kershaw. Pages 259-317 sealed. * Advertised in the NY Times
3/9/1930.
4/4/1930
MORAY DALTON, pseudonym
of Katherine M(ary
Dalton) Renoir, 1881-1963.
The Body in the
Road. Pages 195-291 sealed.
* Reviewed in the NY Times
4/20/1930; advertised in the NY Times
5/11/1930.
5/1/1930
RUPERT
HUGHES, 1872-1956.
Ladies’ Man. Pages 403-465 sealed.
*
Advertised in
the NY Times
5/4/1930; 5/11/1930; 5/18/1930; reviewed in the LA Times
5/18/1930.
6/4/1930
RAYBURN
CRAWLEY, joint pseudonym of
Laura Spencer Portor Pope, 1907-1957, and Dorothy Giles, 1898?-1983?
The Valley of
Creeping
Men. Pages 213-319 sealed.
* Reviewed in NY Times
7/6/1930; mini review in the Chicago
Tribune 5/31/1930.
7/1/1930
LYNN BROCK,pseudonym of Alister
McAllister,
1877-1943.
Murder on the
Bridge.Pages 205-268 sealed *
Advertised in the NY
Times 7/27/1930; 8/3/1930; 9/21/1930; reviewed 8/3/1930 in the LA Times.
8/14/1930
STUART MARTIN,
1882- .
The
Trial of
Scotland
Yard.Pages 269-303 sealed
* Advertised
in
the NY Times
8/3/1930; 9/21/1930 . As theCopyright Catalogue
lists the publication
date as 8/14/1930, it can be assumed that publication may have
been delayed until that date.
8/18/1930
SELWYN JEPSON, 1863-1938.
I Met
Murder. Pages sealed: unknown.
* Not catalogued
as a Sealed Mystery, but advertised as
such in the NY
Times 9/21/1930.
8/21/1930
RICHARD KEVERNE, pseudonym
of Clifford (James
Wheeler) Hosken, 1882-1950.
The Man in the Red Hat.Pages 261-314 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
9/21/1930.
10/1/1930
(WILLIAM) HULBERT FOOTNER,
1879-1944.
The Mystery of the
Folded
Paper.Pages 185-350 sealed.
11/12/1930
FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS, 1879-1957.
Sir John Magill’s
Last
Journey.Pages 171-328 sealed.
1931
1/7/1931
MARY PLUM,
1904?-1981?
Dead Man’s Secret. Pages
221-312 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
3/15/1931; reviewedin the NY Times
2/8/1931.Mini-review in the Chicago Tribune
1/17/1931.
2/5/1931
K(ENNETH) T(HOMAS) KNOBLOCK,
1898-1946.
“There’s
Been Murder Done”.Pages
329-337 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
3/15/1931; reviewed in the Chicago
Tribune 2/8/1931.
2/19/1931
KENNETH (BRETT) PERKINS,
1890-1951.
Voodoo’d. Pages 187-289 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
3/15/1931.
3/4/1931
JOHN DICKSON CARR,
1906-1977.
The
Lost Gallows.Pages 293-344
sealed.
* Advertised in the NY Times
3/15/1931; 4/26/1931; 5/17/1931. Reviewed in the NY Times
5/21/1931.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
4/26/1931; 5/17/1931; 5/24/1931
5/6/1931
STUART MARTIN,
1882- .
The
Hangman’s Guests. Pages
245-300 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
5/10/1931; 5/17/1931.
6/3/1931
(WILLIAM) WILKIE COLLINS, 1824-1889.
The
Moonstone. Pages 313-482
sealed.
* Announced in the NY
Times
5/31/1931 to be published
6/3/1931 in amodernized and condensed
version. Advertised in the NY Times6/7/1931
and 6/14/1931.
7/8/1931
FREEMAN WILLS CROFTS,
1879-1957.
Mystery
in the English Channel. Pages
269-299 sealed.
*
Advertised
in the NY Times
7/26/1931 and 8/9/1931.
8/5/1931
RICHARD KEVERNE. Pseudonym
of Clifford (James Wheeler) Hosken, 1882-1950
The
Fleet Hall Inheritance.Pages
199-344 sealed.
* Advertised
in the NY Times
8/9/1931.
9/16/1931
(WILLIAM) HULBERT FOOTNER, 1879-1944.
Easy
to Kill.Pages 213-312
sealed.
10/1/1931
JOHN DICKSON CARR,
1906-1977.
Castle
Skull. Pages 233-279 sealed.
* Reviewed in
the NY Times
10/4/19.
1932
1/4/1932
FREEMAN
WILLS CROFTS,
1879-1957.
Sudden
Death.Pages 189-282
sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times 2/7/1932;
reviewed in the NY
Times 2/7/1932.
2/17/1932
K(ENNETH) T(HOMAS) KNOBLOCK, 1898-1946.
Murder
in the Mind.Pages 157-233
sealed.
3/23/1932
JOHN DICKSON CARR, 1906-1977.
The Corpse in the
Waxworks. Pages 217-248 sealed
* Reviewed in
the NY Times
4/3/1932
5/4/1932
(OSWALD) HERBERT BEST,
1874-1980.
The
Mystery of the Flaming Hut.Pages
205-307 sealed.
6/8/1932
MARY PLUM, 1904?-
1981?
Murder
at the Hunting Club. Pages
225-282 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
6/12/1932; 6/19/1932; 6/26/1932.
9/5/1932
FREEMAN
WILLS CROFTS, 1879-1957.
Double
Death.Pages 221-303
sealed.
* Advertised in the NY Times
10/2/1932.
9/28/1932
JOHN DICKSON
CARR, 1906-1977.
Poison
in Jest. Pages 209-295
sealed.
(Verified by Douglas G. Greene.)
* Not
catalogued as a Sealed Mystery, but advertised as
such in the NY
Times
9/18/1932; 10/23/1932; reviewed in the NY Times
10/2/1932.
11/2/1932
(WILLIAM) HULBERT FOOTNER,
1879-1944.
Dead
Man’s Hat. Pages 259-299
sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
11/6/1932.
1933
3/22/1933
JOHN DICKSON CARR, 1906-1977.
Hag’s
Nook. Pages 215-291 sealed.
*
Reviewed
in the NY Times
4/16/1933.
4/26/1933
(WILLIAM) HULBERT FOOTNER,
1879-1944.
The
Ring of Eyes. Pages 211-278
sealed.
*
Advertised in the NY
Times 4/30/1933; 5/26/1933; reviewed in
the LA Times
4/23/1933;reviewed
in the NY Times
5/14/1933.
5/12/1933
K(ENNETH)
T(HOMAS) KNOBLOCK, 1898-1946.
Take
up the Bodies. Pages
183-261
sealed.
* Advertised
in the NY Times
6/25/1933; mini review in the LA Times
5/14/1933.
5/23/1933
MARY PLUM,
1904?-
1981?
Murder
at the World’s Fair.Pages
211-255 sealed.
*
Advertised
in the NY Times 5/28/1933,
6/25/1933 and 8/13/1933; reviewed in the NY Times
6/4/1933.
ca.6/25/1933
GLEN TREVOR. Pseudonym
of James Hilton, 1900-1954.
Was
It Murder?Pages 215-257
sealed.
*
Reviewed
in the NY Times
7/2/1933 and advertised 8/13/1933; mini review in the LA Times
7/9/1933.
6/30/1933
DERMOT
(MICHAEL MacGREGOR) MORRAH, 1896-1971.
The
Mummy Case
Mystery. Pages
183-303 sealed. (Verified byBill
Pronzini.)
*
Advertised in the NY
Times 7/23/1933 and 8/13/1933, but not
catalogued as a Sealed Mystery. Reviewed in the NY Times
8/13/1933.
8/8/1933
JOHN DICKSON CARR,
1906-1977.
The
Mad Hatter Mystery.Pages
215-300 sealed.
Reviewed
in
the NY Times 8/6/1933;
advertised in theNY Times8/13/1933.
1934
1/17/1934
(WILLIAM) HULBERT FOOTNER,
1879-1944.
Murder
Runs in the
Family.Pages
165-258 sealed.
*
Advertised in the NY
Times
1/21/1934 and 4/23/1934;
reviewed in the NY
Times 1/21/1934; mini review in
the LA Times
1/28/1934.
2/21/1934
JOHN
DICKSON CARR,
1906-1977.
The
Eight of Swords.Pages
159-225 sealed.
* Reviewed in
the NY Times
2/25/1934 and theLA Times
3/4/1934.
4/4/1934
ALBERT
PAYSON TERHUNE,
1872-1942.
Letters
of Marque.Pages
223-277
sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
4/29/1934; reviewed in the NY Times
4/8/1934.
4/24/1934
MILTON
M(ORRIS) PROPPER,
1906-1962.
The
Divorce Court Murder.Pages
197-278 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times4/29/1934,
5/8/1934, 5/24/1934.
5/2/1934
F(RANKLIN) L(ONG) GREGORY,
1905-1985.
The
Cipher of Death.Pages 169-269
sealed.
*
Reviewedin the NY Times
5/17/1934 .
7/5/1934
FRANCIS BEEDING. Joint
pseudonym of Hilary (Aidan) St. George Saunders, 1898-1951,
and John (Leslie) Palmer, 1885-1944.
The
Street of the
Serpents. Pages 251-276 sealed.
* Reviewed in the NY
Times
7/22/1934 and the LA
Times 7/29/1934.
8/10/1934
(WILLIAM) HULBERT FOOTNER,
1879-1944.
Dangerous Cargo.Pages 235-239
sealed.
*
Advertised
in the NY Times
8/19/1934; reviewed in the NY Times
8/18/1934.
9/21/1934
VIOLA
(ISABEL) PARADISE, 1887-1980.
A Girl Died Laughing.Pages
207-277 sealed.
* Copyrighted for publication 8/26/1934.Appeared
as a serial in the Atlanta
Constitution, 28 September 1934 to 6 November
1934 under the title “The Laughing Girl
Mystery”
in 34 installments, published daily except
Sundays; may have appeared earlier in an as yet
unknown publication. Advertised in the NY Times
9/30/1934.
10/25/1934
JOHN
DICKSON CARR,
1906-1977.
The
Blind
Barber.Pages 175-279 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
12/2/1934; reviewed in the NY Times 11/6/1934.
11/8/1934
MILTON M(ORRIS) PROPPER,
1906-1962.
The
Family Burial
Murders.Pages 261-342 sealed.
* Advertised in
the NY Times
12/2/1934 and 12/15/1934; reviewed in the NY Times
11/11/1934.
ADDENDUM:
When I posted my article on the
Harper Sealed Mystery series, I had believed that the gimmick Harper
had used of sealing off the crucial ending had played itself out
and died a quiet death. Therefore, it came as a complete surprise to me
that in later days, Harper did use this gimmick intermittently on some
of its mystery books.
It was Steve Lewis who
first brought this to my attention on his blog, and his findings were
soon supplemented by those of Bill Pronzini. And, although these books
were not officially part of the
Harper Sealed Mystery series, it was important to make note of them and
present these findings to the mystery reading public.
There may be more out
there that are not known and should the reader come across one, be sure
to let us know.
— Victor Berch,
Steve Lewis and Bill Pronzini.
JOHN DICKSON CARR.
1906-1977.
Death Turns the Tables. Copyrighted for publication
December 22, 1941.
● Reviewed in the NY
Times Book Review
section by Isaac Anderson, Jan 11, 1942. Advertised in
the NYTimes Jan. 25, 1942. No indication in any
advertising or promotional material that the book was sealed.
BILL S.
BALLINGER. [Working byline of William Sanborn
Ballinger.] 1912-1980.
Portrait
in Smoke. Copyrighted for publication August 2, 1950.
● Announcement in Chicago Daily Tribune, July 23,
1950, column “Among the Authors,” conducted by Frederic Babcock,
that the book would be published Aug. 2, 1950 with special
treatment. Quoting from a letter received from William H. Rose,
Jr., vice-president of Harper & Brothers : “...we are going
to seal the last few pages and offer a money-back guarantee...”
● In the “Books Out This Week” column of the Washington Post, July 30, 1950, was
the announcement of Ballinger’s Portrait in Smoke.
● Advertised in the Chicago Daily
Tribune, August 6, 1950, mentioning the sealed portion of
the book. Reviewed Aug 6, 1950 inNew York Times Book Reviewsection
by Robert Hagy. Reviewed August 20, 1950 in the Chicago Daily Tribuneby
Kelsey Guilfoil.
MAX (SIMON)
EHRLICH. 1909-1983.
Spin the Glass Web. Copyrighted for publication
February 13, 1952.
● The copyright notice also stated that an adaptation
had appeared earlier in Cosmopolitan
Magazine (copyright date November 11, 1951) and that new material
had been added for book publication.
● Reviewed in the New
York Times Book Review section February 17, 1952, by Elizabeth
Bullock.
● Notice by Thomas F. Pryor in the New York Times, October 24, 1952, that
Universal Films would produce a film version of the novel.
BILL S. BALLINGER. [Working
byline of William Sanborn Ballinger.] 1912-1980.
The Tooth and the Nail.
Copyrighted for publication on June 8, 1955.
● The copyright notice also stated that the novel had
appeared previously in condensed form in the March 1955 issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine.
● Advertised in the New
York Times, June 2 and June 10, 1955, stating that the book wass
sealed. Reviewed in the New York
Times Book Review section June 19, 1955 by Anthony Boucher.
● Notice in the New York
Times, October 4, 1955, that Film Locations, Ltd would produce the
film to be released by Columbia Pictures.
NICHOLAS BLAKE. [Pseudonym of
Cecil Day-Lewis.] 1904-1972.
A Penknife in My Heart. Copyrighted for publication June
9, 1958, for the Collins Crime Club [England]. Published by
Harper, 1959.
● Reviewed in the New York Times
Book Review section May 3, 1959 by Anthony Boucher.
Advertised in the New York Times, May 17, 1959, without
notice of seal.
NICOLAS FREELING.
1927-2003.
Question of Loyalty. Originally published in England
by Gollancz under the title Guns Before Butter.
Copyrighted for publication August 24, 1963. Published by Harper,
1964.
● On April 19, 1964, in the New York Times Book Review section,
Anthony Boucher reported that Guns Before Butter
was selected by the Crime Club (England) as a second place prize winner
● On September 29, 1964, the New York
Times “Books Today” section reports that Question of Loyalty
has been published by Harper.
● On October 11, 1964, the New York Times Book Review section, Question of Loyalty
was reviewed by Anthony Boucher. On the same day Vivian Mort
reviewed the book in the Chicago
Daily Tribune“Books Today” section.
● On December 6, 1964, the New York Times Book Review section
names Question of
Loyalty as one of the best 14 thrillers of 1964.
Close-up view of internal seal still intact in Bill Pronzini’s
copy of The Tooth
and the Nail, by Bill S. Ballinger.
Close-up view of the wording of the outer seal
still intact on Question
of Loyalty, by Nicolas Freeling.