Joseph Shaw (editor)
American novelist and editor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph T. "Cap" Shaw (May 8, 1874 – August 2, 1952) was the editor of Black Mask magazine from 1926 to 1936.
May 8, 1874
- Editor
- author
- literary agent
Joseph Shaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joseph Thompson Shaw May 8, 1874 Gorham, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 1952 (aged 78) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | Bowdoin College |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Editor of Black Mask magazine, 1926–36 |
Life and career
Before becoming the editor of Black Mask, Shaw had worked as a newspaper reporter and as a soldier in World War I, attaining the rank of captain (Shaw's friends gave him the nickname "Cap").[1] Shaw was also a professional fencer, and even won an Olympic medal for fencing.[1][2] Under his editorship, Black Mask published many works of crime fiction now recognised as classics of the genre, by authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Erle Stanley Gardner.[2][3][4] Chandler greatly admired Shaw's ability to encourage Black Mask writers, claiming in a letter, "We wrote better for him than we could have written for anybody else."[1]
Despite the critical and commercial success of Black Mask, Shaw was eventually fired from the magazine, succeeded by Fanny Ellsworth. Shaw then worked as a literary agent, though without notable success.[5]
Shaw was a writer himself, producing short stories, novels, and articles.
Works
Novels
- Derelict (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1930)
- Blood on the Curb (Steeger Books, 2020)
- It Happened at the Lake (Steeger Books, 2022)
Short stories
- "Alkali Ethics," The Scrap Book, May 1911 [first known publication]
- "Close Shootin’," Pioneer Tales, July 1928
Articles
- "Do You Want to Become a Writer? or Do You Want to Make Money?," Writer's Digest, May 1934.
- "Dialogue," Writer's Digest, June 1939.
Editor
- The Hard Boiled Omnibus: Early Stories from Black Mask (includes introduction) (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1946)
Further reading
- Bodin, Ed. "An Interview With Joseph T. Shaw," The Author and Composer, August 1932.
- Lenniger, August. "Black Mask" (interview), Writer's Digest, October 1929.
- Safire, William. "The Way We Live Now: 4-30-00: On Language; Dirigiste", New York Times, April 30, 2000.
- Shaw, Milton. Joseph T. Shaw: The Man Behind Black Mask. Black Mask, 2019. Biography, by his son.
