Detective Story Magazine was an American magazine published by Street & Smith from October 15, 1915, to summer 1949 (1,057 issues). It was one of the first pulp magazines devoted to detective fiction and consisted of short stories and serials.[1] While the publication was the publishing house's first detective-fiction pulp magazine in a format resembling a modern paperback (a "thick book" in dime-novel parlance), Street & Smith had only recently ceased publication of the dime-novel series Nick Carter Weekly, which concerned the adventures of a young detective.
From February 21, 1931, to its demise, the magazine was titled Street & Smith's Detective Story Magazine. During half of its 34-year life, the magazine was popular enough to support weekly issues.[2] Ludwig Wittgenstein, the eminent philosopher, was among the magazine's readership.[3]
Stories from the magazine were first heard on the radio on July 31, 1930. The Street and Smith radio program Detective Story Hour was narrated by a mysterious character named "The Shadow."[4] Confused listeners would ask for copies of "The Shadow" magazine. As a result, Street & Smith debuted The Shadow Magazine on April 1, 1931, a pulp series created and primarily written by the prolific Walter B. Gibson.
The success of The Shadow and Doc Savage also prompted Street & Smith to revive Nick Carter as a hero pulp that ran from 1933 to 1936. A popular radio show, Nick Carter, Master Detective, aired on the Mutual Broadcasting System network from 1943 to 1955.
Authors published in Detective Story include: