#henri musnik

[amsaklapper-blog]

Le Petit Roman Policier

French crime pulps series. 112 issues [July 1938 - March 1942].  Format 32 pages - circa 105 x 160. The author’s name was only indicated inside. Published by Editions Ferenczi [#001 to #100], then - France defeated and occupied: June 1941, Applying their policy of aryanization, the Germans had put Ferenczi under sequestration and entrusted the publishing house to Jean de la Hire - the label becoming Editions du Livre Moderne.

Really a very nice series and interesting stories (most of them will be reissued in the series “Mon Roman Policier” after the war)

Reproduced:

# 12 L’effraction de la rue des Saints Pères - Pierre d’Aurimont

# 15 L’homme qui s’escamote - Claude Ascain

# 45 N°9 voiture verte - Jean Daye

# 55 Un scandale mondain - Claude Ascain

# 81 Le voleur du Radjah - Claude Ascain

# 85 Le fantôme noir - Claude Ascain

# 88 L’énigme du pavillon de chasse - A. Clouet

# 107 La Belle Affaire - A. Clouet

# 109 Mort au téléphone - Claude Ascain

# 111 L’énigme des poignards - René Virard

[Claude Ascain & Jean Daye are pen-names of Henri Musnik, who wrote circa 1/3 of the series. When Musnik signed Jean Daye, the story was almost always a sport crime tale]

cover art: Géo Sogny [001-100], Calvo [101-112]

J.Ferenczi & Fils, Editeurs < Editions du Livre Moderne, 9 rue Antoine Chantin, Paris 14e

source:amsaklapper’s collection

[amsaklapper-blog]

Collection Criminels & Policiers

24 titles were presented with this red overlay. Published in 1932/1933, their numérotation was # 46 to # 69. Their shape was a crossover between pulp and paperback. Fragile and difficult to find (in good condition or not!)

Here we have # 65: Le triangle vert, signed Pierre Braydunes (a pen name of pulpwriter Henri Musnik)

publisher: Editions Jules Tallandier, Paris

source:amsaklapper’s collection

[amsaklapper-blog]

Collection “Haut les Mains !”

Aka “Les aventures de l’Inspecteur Lautrec”. Pulp series that had 6 issues in 1946 (2nd quarter). Written by polygraphe Paul Darcy (real name: Paul Salmon). Format 155 x 233 - 18 pages/2columns.

I suspect Paul Darcy (like I do with Henri Musnik and Marcel Idiers) for having sometimes adapted and transposed pre-existing stories from english language. If I have all necessary proofs about Musnik, I have only suspicions concerning Idiers and Darcy.

cover art: unknown

publisher: Edilect, 12 rue des Cascades, Paris

source:amsaklapper’s collection

[amsaklapper-blog]

Sexton Blake “undercover”

Famed english detective officialy never made it on french ground. Only three titles of Sexton Blake exist in french language, published in the collection “Un Mystère”, but....

...but a french pulp writer named Henri Musnik (1895 -1957) bootlegged Sexton Blake as early as the 30′s and did never stop. Nobody knew it and we had to wait until 2006 to discover and prove it (I have all the necessary proofs). But does anybody care ? Musnik translated and adapted Sexton Blake’s adventures, changed the characters’ names and sometimes (but not ever) relocalized the action. And that’s not all, Henri Musnik served his stuff again many times between the 30′s and the mid-50′s, just changing the character’s names and rewriting part of the stories here and there when it was needed. All in all: great work ! Hats off to Henri Musnik, folks !

Signed Alain Martial ( a pseudonym Musnik used as early as 1936 for spionage pulps), we have here the last issues of Musnik’s Sexton Blake. Seven titles in which Sexton Blake becomes Robert Navarre, le grand détective. Published in pulp collection “Le Verrou” between 1952 & 1956 at Editions Ferenczi.

cover art: Géo Sogny

source:amsaklapper’s collection [and  “Le Rocambole” # 34/35]