The Smiling Dogs is the 10th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the June 1, 1940 issue of The Avenger magazine.
Pulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the 1950s. The term pulp derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazines printed on higher-quality paper were called "glossies" or "slicks". The typical pulp magazine had 128 pages; it was 7 inches (18 cm) wide by 10 inches (25 cm) high, and 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) thick, with ragged, untrimmed edges.
Paul Frederick Ernst was an American pulp fiction writer. He is best known as the author of the original 24 "Avenger" novels, published by Street & Smith under the house name Kenneth Robeson.
Publishing history
This novel was re-published under its original title by Paperback Library on March 1, 1973.
Summary
A gang murders and schemes to control a remote Montana national park with resources (apparently helium) that will be vital in any upcoming war. The mastermind's strategy is to convince key figures, including Congressmen, that they are seeing things, and to threaten to publicly expose this apparent insanity. The apparition is a remarkably uninvolving small red man leading a smiling green dog, etc.; one of the blackmail targets throws a chair at the small man, which seems about right. Benson must break a code, the team does detective work, Benson impersonates powerful men and infiltrates Congress. He ignores his team's peril out of patriotic duty to protect the country. Nellie escapes from a deathtrap, but is trapped again, and manipulated by the mastermind to trap the team in a tunnel under the Potomac. The mastermind and his gang die, with Benson's help, in their own flooding death trap, from which the Justice, Inc. team escapes with a quite small margin for error. The real reason for the scheme: deposits of pitchblend (radium ore).
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Related Research Articles
The Avenger is a fictional character whose original adventures appeared between September 1939 and September 1942 in the pulp magazine The Avenger, published by Street & Smith. Five additional short stories were published in Clues Detective magazine (1942–1943), and a sixth novelette in The Shadow magazine in 1943. Newly written adventures were commissioned and published by Warner Brother's Paperback Library from 1973 to 1974. The Avenger was a pulp hero who combined elements of Doc Savage and The Shadow.
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"Justice, Inc." is the first pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the September 1, 1939 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The Yellow Hoard" is the 2nd pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the October 1, 1939 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
The Sky Walker is the third pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the November 1, 1939 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The Glass Mountain" is the 8th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the April 1, 1940 issue of The Avenger magazine.
"The Blood Ring" is the 7th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the March 1, 1940 issue of The Avenger magazine. This novel was re-published under its original title by Paperback Library on November 1, 1972.
"Stockholders in Death" is the 8th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the April 1, 1940 issue of “The Avenger” magazine. The novel was republished under its original title by Paperback Library on December 1, 1972.
Tuned for Murder is the 9th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the May 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The River of Ice" is the 11th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the July 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
"The Flame Breathers" is the 12th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the September 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine. With this issue, The Avenger magazine switched to a bi-monthly schedule.
"Murder on Wheels" is the 13th pulp magazine story to feature The Avenger. Written by Paul Ernst, it was published in the November 1, 1940 issue of "The Avenger” magazine.
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