Johnston McCulley

With modern media full of colourful heroes and villains one name remains forgotten, hidden under the piles of work he inspired. Johnston McCulley was the writer who opened the door for what was to come, and one of his creations Zorro would not only inspire a character who would become a legend in his own right but would also remain a popular charter for over a century! McCulley was born in…

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“Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine”  February 1959

Keep Me Out of the Morgue by Brett Halliday

Murder Begins at Home by Art Crockett

Thubway Tham’s Double Play by Johnston McCulley

The Crooked Three by John Jakes

Child’s Play by Dennis Weigand

Thubway Tham’s Thanksgiving Dinner by Johnston McCulley Thubway Tham is a small, short-tempered gnome of a man, a professional pickpocket with an annoying lisp.

[Free eBook] Thubway Tham Goes to the Races by Johnston McCulley [Vintage Pulp Crime Mystery]

Thubway Tham Goes to the Races by the late Johnston McCulley, a novelist and screenplay writer who created the iconic character Zorro, is the self-contained short story in the Thubway Tham series of vintage pulp mystery/crime adventure thrillers, free for a limited time courtesy of publisher Wildside Press.

This was originally published in 1921 in Detective Story Magazine under the title “Thubway Tham Goeth To The Ratheth”, and is one of Wildside's sporadic weekly giveaways to help promote their Black Cat Mystery Club for vintage pulp/mystery reprints.

The series stars a good-hearted trickster pickpocket with a lisp, who works in the subways of New York and often targets deserving criminals while attempting to outwit the cops assigned to his case. This adventure sees him taking refuge at a horseracing track while eluding Detective Craddock, and teaching a lesson to the swindlers he finds there.

Offered worldwide through July 2nd (probably), available DRM-free directly from the publisher.

Free for a limited time @ the publisher's webstore (DRM-free ePub/mobi/PDF bundle available worldwide; requires account signup with valid email and billing address, but no payment info)

If you happen to like this and be interested in reading more, Wildside has reprinted three collections of the Thubway Tham tales (originally published from the 1910s through the 1940s) at an affordably low price: The Thubway Tham Megapack, [Tales of Thubway Tham](http://bcmystery.com/tales-of-thubway-tham-by-johnston-mcculley-epub-kindle-pdf-1/), Adventures of Thubway Tham

Description A classic tale of the little pickpocket with a heart of gold, from Johnston McCulley -- creator of Zorro!

PERIL PRESS presents:  Black Book Detective, February 1948  DEATH ENDS THE YEAR  by Johnston McCulley  For Detective Lieutenant Larry Ogden it was D-Day and H-Hour - with D for Danger and H for Homicide!  5400 Words  Detective Story Magazine, June 1 1920  THUBWAY THAM’S THENTH OF HONOR  by Johnston McCulley  Author of “Flaming Hate,” etc.  5300 Words  Detective Story Magazine, February 12 1921  THUBWAY THAM GETTH BAIL  by Johnston McCulley  Author of “Pores,” etc.  4500 Words  Black Book Detective, September 1948  THUBWAY THAM’S DEED OF MERCY  by Johnston McCulley  A famous character returns in this, the first of a new series!  4800 Words  Black Book Detective, May 1949�� THUBWAY THAM’S RAFFLE TICKET  by Johnston McCulley  The little dip has his day when the law allows him to collect a lot of lettuce on a winning number!  4500 Words  This edition includes 8 images between story illustrations and pulp covers. It also includes a GALLERY of 10 pulp covers from issues featuring Zorro stories by Johnston McCulley.

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Lesser known Pulp Heroes.

Flash Casey (sometimes Flash Gun Casey) by George Harmon Coxe, a tough-guy newspaper photographer, the first “hard-boiled” mystery character, along with appearing in Black Mask, the character was also in B-movies, radio, and a short-lived Timely Comic book.

The Domino Lady by Theodore Tinsley, she fought crime and/or evil while wearing a black mask and white gown.

The Crimson Clown by Johnston McCulley, the creator of Zorro, C.C., was a modern (the 1930s) crime fighter, who used skills learned in W.W. I,, a .45, and a syringe full of a knockout/truth serum (later a gas gun) To rob from the unjust rich and give to the poor.

The Moon Man by Frederick C. Davis, the one who went into battle against crime with a glass bowl over his head.

Captain Satan by William O'Sullivan was sort of a harsher version of The Shadow and Doc Savage; only all of his aids were criminals and not reformed ones, who feared Cap. S more than the law, and who regularly died during the stories as more were added.

Senorita Scorpion by Les Savage Jr. is a Western character who came from a gold-filled valley that had been sealed off from the world for more than 100 years, After an opening appeared she defended it from various Western baddies.

The Patent Leather Kid little known kinky crusader character of Erle Stanley Gardner.

Masked Rider by Paul Chadwick, the M.R. was a pulp published by the company that would become Marvel Comics, an early high-concept character. He was a blend of The Lone Ranger and the Shadow, later, he was sold to Popular Publications, who redesigned him toning down the “shadow” bits, but keeping the mask and his Indian side-kick Blue Eagle.

Thubway Tham, Johnston McCulley again. Tham was a grumpy older pick-pocket with an exaggerated lisp, who, while ill-tempered and a crook, had a well-hidden heart of gold and ended up helping the innocent against big-time crooks most of the time.

Detective Story Magazine, Feb. 18, 1922

Thubway Tham was created by Johnston McCulley who also created Zorro, Tham was a grouchy New York pickpocket that had a very pronounced lisp.

Thubway Tham, one of Zorro creator Johnston McCulley's other creations and with dialog like "I'll thow those guyths whoths the king of the thubway isth" to show his lisp one of the most annoying.

He was a pickpocket and small time crook who sometimes when up against bigger worst crooks.