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Mark Seifert
@markseifert.bleedingcool.com
880 followers 580 following 570 posts
Vintage paper addict, co-founder of Avatar Press, managing editor of Bleeding Cool. Interest in American periodical publishing history including dime novels, pulps, newspapers, magazines, golden age & silver age comics. I mostly post about old paper here.
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Happy Days #314, Oct 20, 1900
Published by Frank Tousey

"The Gobblers of Turkey Neck" are a kid version of a secret society. The name comes from an initiation ceremony they use, involving the Turkey masks as worn by "Brother X".

"C. Little" is a pseudonym for author Harvey K. Shackleford.
Front cover of Happy Days No. 314, dated October 20, 1900. The story title reads Brother X; or, The Gobblers of Turkey Neck. The central illustration shows a dramatic confrontation in a Victorian parlor. A startled man in a striped suit leaps back as a masked assailants enter from the window to confront him at gunpoint. Behind them hangs a framed portrait labeled “C. Douglass,” and a table covered in papers and bills suggests the setting of a financial office. In the upper left inset, a circular vignette depicts a man’s portrait with the head of a turkey labeled “Brother X.” The caption below reads: “Mr. Burton gave a terrified exclamation, leaped to his feet, and reached for a revolver... ‘Drop it,’ cried Jack. ‘Drop it and throw up your hands, Burton, or you are a dead man.’”
November 15, 2025 at 12:35 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
"Authentic Ghost Stories" complete article from Famous Crimes v3 #23 (1904) published by Harold Furniss.

The article contains accounts of the Hammersmith Ghost (1804) and Cock Lane Ghost (1762) incidents in London.

Another late shift entry for #phantomsfriday
Famous Crimes, Past and Present Vol. 3, No. 23, page 1 of article Authentic Ghost Stories, The text recounts the “Hammersmith Ghost” case, in which fear of a supposed specter led to a killing in early-19th-century London. An accompanying engraving shows a frightened woman in a churchyard fainting as a ghostly white-clad figure embraces her amid gravestones under moonlight. Caption: “Pressing her in his arms.” Famous Crimes, Past and Present Vol. 3, No. 23, page 2 of article Authentic Ghost Stories, An illustration depicts a startled man raising a gun toward a hooded, spectral figure standing near a country inn sign at night. The scene accompanies text describing the “Cock Lane Ghost” episode, where a supposed haunting provoked widespread public fascination and fear. The caption reads: “Who are you I’ll shoot if you don’t speak!” Famous Crimes, Past and Present Vol. 3, No. 23, page 3 of article Authentic Ghost Stories, An interior scene set in a vaulted crypt. Two men carrying a lantern recoil in fear at something unseen. Accompanies the continued account of the Cock Lane Ghost investigation. Caption: “The ghost was then summoned to appear.” Famous Crimes, Past and Present Vol. 3, No. 23, page 4 of article Authentic Ghost Stories, text page concluding the Cock Lane Ghost narrative.
November 14, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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"Materializing Medium" Ella A. Wells was exposed as a fraud at a meeting of the First Spiritualist Society of New York, which was offering $100 to any medium able to materialize a spirit under test conditions.

Illlustrated Police News (of Boston) #1062, Mar 5, 1887
A last minute #PhantomsFriday
Illustrated Police News of Boston #1062, Mar 5, 1887 shows Mrs. Ella A. Wells, a self-proclaimed “materializing medium”,being exposed as a fraud during a demonstration for the First Spiritualist Society of New York. The scene captures a man having pulled aside netting which had been put in place to prevent Wells from moving from her position in the dark. The same man also holds one of Wells' "ghost costumes" while another lays crumpled on the floor. Mrs. Wells looks ashamed as she clutches at her dress. Around them, a startled audience of men and women observe the revelation with shock and fascination; one man points accusingly, while others lean forward or whisper to each other.
November 8, 2025 at 5:38 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
“The Guy Fawkes of 1850: Preparing to Blow Up All England!”
Punch, November 1850

Pope Pius IX depicted as Guy Fawkes, a reaction to Pope Pius IX's September 29, 1850, papal bull, which restored the Catholic hierarchy in England.
A satirical cartoon from the November 1850 issue of Punch, titled “The Guy Fawkes of 1850: Preparing to Blow Up All England!” The illustration depicts Pope Pius IX, wearing an ornate papal tiara and robes, bending forward toward a pile of mitres labeled with the names of English towns and parishes such as Clapham, Westminster, Pimlico, Margate, and Mile End, meant to draw an analogy to the powder kegs of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1905.
November 5, 2025 at 3:03 PM
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Illustrated Police News (of Boston) Apr 5, 1884.

In the accompanying article, the tailor says some female clients care less about fit due to reluctance to be measured for fit by male cutters, but that "dressmakers can't handle the irons or cut the cloth according to the principles of tailoring."
Illustration from Illustrated Police News, April 5, 1884, titled “Beauty’s Breeches—An Establishment for Fitting Actresses and Others of the Gentle Sex to Men’s Clothes.” The scene shows a tailor’s fitting room where two women are being measured and dressed in men’s-style garments. On the left, a tailor takes measurements for a jacket for a woman. At the center, another woman stands confidently before a mirror wearing a tailored men’s suit, her hand on her hip as she admires her reflection. In the foreground, a seated woman in a bonnet observes the fitting.
October 21, 2025 at 12:47 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
L’Éclipse, #218. Dec 29, 1872

Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire, French President Adolphe Thiers’s secretary and adviser, depicted as the government's right hand. Perhaps a jab at Saint-Hilaire's power despite his unofficial role.

André Gill is one of the most important caricaturists ever.
Front cover of L’Éclipse, issue no. 218 from December 29, 1872, featuring André Gill’s satirical caricature Le Bras Droit (“The Right Arm”). The illustration shows Barthélemy Saint-Hilaire, President Adolphe Thiers’s devoted secretary and adviser, literally transformed into a giant hand at the end of an arm labeled “GOUVERNEMENT.” His head merges into the arm as he bends forward, using a quill to write on sheets of paper, symbolizing how he serves as thehand of the French government and the conduit of goverment power.
October 19, 2025 at 12:43 AM
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The Sunday Novel (1934-1949, name changed to Gold Seal Novel at some point) was a Sunday newspaper insert, akin to Sunday comics. Originated at the Philadelphia Inquirer, syndicated to a small number of other papers. Eight pages, illos throughout. Material seems to be heavily abridged.
Front cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Novel titled “Synthetic Gentleman” by Channing Pollock, published January 20, 1935. The illustration depicts a man in a fedora and trench coat cautiously moving through a rain-soaked landscape at night, his figure reflected in puddles. Behind him loom trees and a distant house under heavy storm clouds. The art uses a limited palette of deep blue and red-orange, framed by vertical stripes. Front cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Novel titled “Casino” by George Norsworthy, published August 12, 1934. The illustration shows a woman with short dark hair and intense eyes wearing an orange dress, in front of a landscape of pale blue hills and domed white buildings, framed by silhouetted trees. Front cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer Sunday Novel titled “The Lady Dances” by Marge Stanley, published July 1, 1934. The illustration shows a poised, dark-haired woman in a red sleeveless top, high-waisted black shorts, and a flowing black-and-red shawl that drapes around her legs. She gazes to the side with a confident, stylish expression, one hand resting on her hip.
October 18, 2025 at 11:47 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
The Hotspur #671. Sep 17, 1949

An early example of a giant monster being awakened by post-WWII underwater nuclear testing, well before Godzilla or the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.
Front cover of The Hotspur, No. 671, dated September 17, 1949, a British boys’ weekly story paper published by D.C. Thomson & Co. The headline story is titled “The Monster from the Deep.” The dynamic color illustration shows a gigantic sea creature rising violently from the ocean, towering above a cargo ship that pitches amid crashing waves. The monster is a hybrid of dragon and sea serpent, with green and gold scales, red underbelly, bat-like wings, a long neck, clawed limbs, and writhing tentacles sprouting from its sides. Its gaping mouth and yellow eyes convey menace as it looms over the imperiled ship. In the distance, rocky islands and a small fishing boat appear beneath a pale sky.
October 18, 2025 at 3:21 AM
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Oct 25, 1858 Harper's Weekly on the infamous Winans "cigar ship."

This is one of my favorite pieces of Civil War-era tech, and Ross Winans, along with Samuel Colt and a handful of others, is among the few pre-Edison American mad scientists whose work had an impact on 19c American science fiction.
An illustrated page from Harper’s Weekly (October 23, 1858) showing multiple views of the experimental Winans Steamship, a cigar-shaped iron vessel designed by Baltimore inventors Ross and George Winans. The main image at the top, captioned “The Winans Steamship After Being Launched (From a Photograph),” depicts the smooth, spindle-shaped hull floating near the shipyard, resembling a massive metallic cylinder with pointed ends and a narrow deck spine. Smaller engravings below show “Building the Winans Steamer,” with workers assembling the ship beside a wooden boathouse; “End View (From a Photograph),” displaying the circular cross-section of the hull; and “Longitudinal and Cross Sections,” a technical line drawing detailing the ship’s inner compartments, boilers, and propeller shafts. The accompanying article describes the vessel’s unique form and anticipated efficiency at sea. Two large engravings from Harper’s Weekly illustrate the unusual Winans Steamship before and after launch. The upper image, “On the Ways Before the Launching (From a Photograph),” shows shipbuilders working beside the nearly completed, cigar-shaped vessel at a riverside yard with scaffolding and ladders in place, and a gabled wooden boathouse behind it. The lower engraving, “As She Will Appear at Sea,” envisions the ship in motion across rolling waves, its long spindle hull cutting through the water with twin smokestacks at center, emitting trails of black smoke. Together, the images capture both the engineering ambition and futuristic design of one of the 19th century’s most distinctive steamship experiments.
October 17, 2025 at 11:54 PM
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Illustrated Police News #1514, Oct 26, 1895

Caption: You Shall Not Look at the Shameless Thing!
A young wife at Amityville, NY, shuts off her husband's view of a dashing Brooklyn bicyclist in tights.

(Cambridge Church Convulsion explained in alt.)
The Cambridge Church Controversy blurbed in the logo is so bizarre that I checked it against other news accounts of the day... and it's even more strange than one would believe. So it came to pass that Pastor Frank Smith of the Cambridge Church of Boston was approached by some of his congregants about a plan to expand the scope of Sunday evening bible study sessions to include social events. Pastor Smith approved this plan, but this resulted in a cranky public meeting between him and other church figures who disagreed, and congregants were divided on the matter. Shortly after, congregants who opposed the matter began receiving what is described as "vile" postcards in the mail. A trap was laid for Pastor Smith involving marked postcards and private detectives. Smith's supporters suspected this was a frame up and there was more to the matter than a disagreement over some refreshments and entertainments on Sunday night at church, and based on the above scheme it's hard to disagree. Nevertheless, a warrant was issued for Pastor Smith's arrest based on this evidence, and he was subsequently tracked down in Denver arranging to take charge of a church there -- no doubt realizing that the situation in Boston had become untenable for him. And here the matter stood when this issue of Illustrated Police News was published. Unfortunately for Pastor Smith, the matter would get worse for him from there. In the subsequent trail, Smith's brother and the family physician would both testify at length that not only was his Smith insane, but also that the family had a long history of mental illness. And furthermore, that Smith was a believer in astrology and clairvoyancy. The judge ultimately agreed that Pastor Smith was insane, and Smith ended up in an asylum over this matter.
October 17, 2025 at 11:35 PM
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Boys of New York #944 Sep 16, 1893.
published by Frank Tousey

The White Wizard of the Bowery;
or, The Boy Slaves of New York: A Story of the Mysteries of Mesmerism
by Alexander Armstrong (a Tousey house pseudonym)

A good cover for the spooky season.
Front cover of The Boys of New York: A Paper for Young Americans, Vol. XIX, No. 944, dated September 16, 1893. The ornate masthead features elaborate typography. Below it, the lead serialized story is titled The White Wizard of the Bowery; or, The Boy Slaves of New York: A Story of the Mysteries of Mesmerism by Alexander Armstrong. The large engraved illustration beneath the title depicts a dramatic occult scene. At the center, a young man in evening clothes kneels beside an unconscious woman lying within a pentagram, her body illuminated by torchlight. A robed and bearded man—depicted as a wizard or mesmerist—stands nearby holding an open book and pointing a wand tipped with a glowing star toward the woman. Four braziers at the corners of the scene emit heavy smoke, forming a mystical, ritualistic atmosphere. The caption beneath reads: “I see an old, old man. He stands over my prostrate form—he wears a gown of silk—he wears a curious cap upon his head—he reads from a book—he points with a brass wand from which shoots a fiery star— I see Will Spencer—he is kneeling beside me—with one hand he stirs the contents of the smoking dish.” The text columns below begin the story.
October 17, 2025 at 8:28 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Illustration from The Stereoscope, an uncredited short from Chimney Corner Vol 2 #52, May 26, 1866

A man embarking on a long ocean voyage leaves his wife with a stereoscopic image she can look at to remind her he is alive and well. This goes horribly wrong. #phantomsfriday (story summary in alt)
John promises to marry Kate when he returns from one last voyage. She pleads with him not to go, haunted by a vague dread she cannot explain, a classic premonition of doom. John jokes to reassure her, showing her a pair of stereoscope portraits recently taken of them both. He says she must look at his likeness whenever she misses him, and promises she will know he is safe “as long as the man in the stereoscope looks hearty and well.” Kate keeps his stereoscopic photograph by her bedside. She looks through the device, trembling with fear until she sees his familiar smiling face. Each time, the sight comforts her; she takes it as a kind of supernatural assurance of his safety. Time passes toward Kate's cousin Flora’s eagerly anticipated eighth birthday, for which a children’s party is being prepared. The party watches the colored slides — scenes of deserts, animals, and comic ghosts. Meanwhile, the unnamed narrator has learned alarming news: It appears John's ship bound for California has exploded and burned at sea, with heavy loss of life. Suddenly, Dobey announces in a joking tone that there are “rumors abroad this evening — rumors of a ship, name as yet only guessed at.” He does not realize the horror of what he’s saying. Then, as the next slide appears, the children cry out: a huge, ghastly, corpse-like face fills the screen — unmistakably John’s. Kate gives one cry, then collapses, lifeless. In the chaos that follows, the truth emerges. Dobey had, without thinking, used John’s stereoscopic photograph as one of his glass slides. The combination of light, color, and projection distorted the cheerful portrait into a ghostly image of death. Then, in one final cruel twist, John himself arrives later that night. Alive and unharmed. He returns full of joy, only to find that Kate is dead.
October 17, 2025 at 2:04 PM
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New York Weekly, v40 #23, Apr 13, 1885
Seven Foot Sam, King of the Grizzlies by Reckless Ralph, one of Edward Zane Carroll Judson aka Ned Buntline's pseudonyms.

This is one of my favorite Story Paper series. But approx. 3,000 issues is a sobering collecting challenge.
Front page of Street and Smith’s New York Weekly, Vol. 40, No. 23, dated April 13, 1885. The masthead reads “A Journal of Useful Knowledge, Amusement, Romance, etc.” Below it, the main illustrated story is titled Seven-Foot Sam; or, The King of the Grizzlies by Reckless Ralph. The large wood engraving at center shows a dramatic wilderness scene: a towering frontiersman clad in buckskin and a fur cap, with a long beard and rifle slung across his back, grapples barehanded with a massive grizzly bear. The man’s left arm is raised in defense while his right drives a knife into the animal’s chest as the bear rears up to strike. The background shows craggy mountain cliffs and wild terrain. The illustration is captioned “Seven-Foot Sam.” The surrounding columns feature serialized text of the story, set in small, tightly packed type, typical of 19th-century illustrated fiction weeklies. The image conveys rugged frontier heroism and man-against-nature adventure—a staple of American popular fiction of the period.
October 17, 2025 at 1:40 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
The "Pepper's Ghost" illusion inspired one of the most infamous back-pages ads in American publishing history, and one that remained popular enough to appear for a century+. As a kid, I was always curious about what this was. #PhantomsFriday
markseifert.bleedingcool.com Mark Seifert @markseifert.bleedingcool.com · Jan 21
Lakeside Library, December 1878.

The earliest version I've seen of the infamous "Dancing Skeleton" ad that would appear in the back pages of comic books and magazines for a century. The "Prof. Pepper" reference makes it clear this was inspired by the "Pepper's Ghost" effect.
A small add in an 1878 issue of Lakeside Library. The illustration is of a dancing skeleton.
October 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
National Police Gazette, v2 #14. Dec. 12, 1846.

The exploits of real-life bandit John A. Murrell inspired sensationalized accounts, myth, and fiction. This account claims that initiation into his "mystic clan" included an encounter with a spectral skeleton guarding his liar. #phantomsfriday
Front page of the National Police Gazette, Vol. 2, No. 14, published in New York on Saturday, December 12, 1846. The masthead title is printed in bold black letters across the top, with the price listed as “Four Cents a Number.” Below the masthead, the main illustration depicts a dramatic scene captioned “The Robbers’ Awful Oath.” A skeletal figure holding an arrow, rises from behind a coffin, confronting a terrified man recoiling in fear with arms raised. The image accompanies the feature article in the “Lives of the Felons” series, this installment titled “John A. Murrell, the Great Western Land Pirate.” The text columns below and beside the illustration recount Murrell’s life and crimes, describing the initiation rites and oaths of his robber gang in lurid detail.
October 10, 2025 at 11:53 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
“‘The vampire bat!’ exclaimed Blount, echoing the words of the bo'wswain.”

The Bat of the Battery
Another Joe Phenix detective story by Albert W. Aiken.

Beadle’s New York Dime Library #419, Nov. 3, 1886
Front cover of Beadle’s New York Dime Library, Vol. XXXIII, No. 419, published November 3, 1886, by Beadle & Adams of New York. The featured story is The Bat of the Battery; or, Joe Phenix, King of Detectives by Albert W. Aiken. The engraving shows a dramatic nighttime waterfront scene under a full moon. In the foreground, a man in a wide-brimmed hat and long coat stands at the stern of a small rowboat, his arms raised as he confronts an approaching boat of armed pursuers. Another man fires a gun toward him, the muzzle flash bright against the dark water, while two additional figures row in pursuit. At the bottom left, the limp body of a woman lies in the bow of the first boat, illuminated faintly by moonlight. The text on the illustration reads “The Bat of the Battery” in large stylized letters. Below the image, the caption reads: “‘The vampire bat!’ exclaimed Blount, echoing the words of the bo'wswain.”
October 7, 2025 at 3:14 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
The Black Cat #12, Sept 1896
Cover by Nelly Littlehale Umbstaetter

One of the most successful small-format literary magazines published in the wake of The Chap-Book, The Black Cat became known for "strange" fiction from the likes of O. Henry, Jack London, Henry Miller, Clark Ashton Smith, others.
Color cover of The Black Cat magazine, September 1896 issue, published by The Shortstory Publishing Co., Boston. The central illustration shows a black cat dressed in a plaid suit, cap, and red tie, cheerfully riding a yellow bicycle with red rims against a gold background. The cat is anthropomorphic, pedaling confidently with a paw on the handlebar and a mischievous smile. A red circular emblem marked “5 Cents” appears in the upper right corner within a white laurel wreath. To the right, the issue date and story titles are listed: “The Reapers” by Batterman Lindsay, “A Kindergarten Hold-Up” by Mabel Shippe Clarke, “The Guardian of Mystery Island” by Dr. Edmond Nolcini, “A Mental Mischance” by Thomas F. Anderson, and “The Barber of the Alpena” by J. Harwood. The publisher’s imprint reads: “The Shortstory Publishing Co., 144 High St., Boston, Mass.”
October 7, 2025 at 1:06 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
What is probably the best pulp collection ever assembled is hitting the auction block beginning this winter.
October 3, 2025 at 3:05 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Providence, 1827: Long before HPL, Providence was home to a weird fiction writer called "The Troglodyte". His work is alternate reality fiction.

Here, he sees the phantom of a figure from NYC's past, who triggers a vision of its future. Spoiler: it ends poorly. #phantomsfriday (summary in alt)
The Literary Cadet is an obscure, short-run newspaper (1826-1829) edited by Sylvester S. Southworth, and published by Samuel J. Smith and Jonathan C. Parmenter, with the help of their apprentice Samuel Adams (no close relation to the political Adams' families, it appears). Southworth often wrote a column called "Travels of a Troglodyte", which he signed as "The Troglodyte", it's sort of a Tale of the Mysterious Traveler as filtered through Weird Tales bit of alternate (and time traveling!) reality fiction. In this installment, the Troglodyte has traveled from Providence to NYC and finds it a booming, noisy, bustling place. He begins to wonder if we can maintain this level of civilization, and as he does, the cacophony of the various activity surrounding him begins to evoke the chanting of some prior era. Disoriented, he encounters a man named Anthony Van Corlaer -- a fictional trumpeter of the 1640s New Amsterdam colony which would ultimately become New York (sort of an earlier version of Paul Revere... he was to sound his trumpet to signal that the British were coming, and appeared in Washington Irving's History of New York). But he knows that Van Corlaer should be long dead. As he ponders the meaning of this, Van Corlaer sounds his horn, and reality dissolves, replaced by some future or alternate vision of NYC. The city is in ruins, decayed, overgrown. "the mart of the New World has become the dwelling of wild beasts -- not a record of her greatness remains." Just as he thinks to seek out manuscripts of this ruined place so he can record the "History of New York" himself, he's startled back to reality, disappointed that the vision has slipped away. In closing, he notes a parade of "malicious soldiers" on Broadway, accompanied by a bugler whose instrument bears a "villainous resemblance" to Van Corlaer's trumpet.
October 3, 2025 at 11:45 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Nothing quite improves my mood like getting "new" old paper.

(Attached: A few bound volumes of the Beadle's New York Dime Library, a series that ran for 1103 issues 1877-1905.)
A close-up photograph of four bound volumes of Beadle’s New York Dime Library, a 19th-century dime novel series. The spines are black leather with gold lettering and raised bands. The titles read “DIME LIBRARY” in uppercase, followed by the volume numbers stamped in gold. From left to right, the volumes are: Vol. III, showing significant wear and scuffing; Vol. IX, with moderate wear; Vol. XXXIII (33), with slightly more pronounced reddish wear near the spine bands; and Vol. XX (20), in relatively better condition.
September 29, 2025 at 1:41 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Beadle's New York Dime Library #112, Dec 15, 1880.

Joe Phenix, Private Detective;
Or, The League of the Skeleton Keys

Albert W. Aiken did significant work for Beadle & Adams. Also an actor and playwright. Perhaps best known for his play "Witches of New York" which had a good run 1869-early 1870s
ront cover of Beadle’s New York Dime Library, Vol. IX, No. 112, published December 15, 1880. The headline story is Joe Phenix, Private Detective; or, The League of the Skeleton Keys by Albert W. Aiken, advertised with the subtitle “The Man of Many Disguises!”. The dramatic wood-engraved illustration beneath the title depicts a tense underground scene inside a stone-vaulted chamber. At the center, detective Joe Phenix, dressed in plain clothes and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, stands defiantly facing a group of shadowy, hooded figures. A single light illuminates the chamber from above, casting eerie shadows and highlighting a skull-shaped ornament or projection on the ceiling. The cloaked figures, arranged in a semicircle, loom menacingly around Phenix, suggesting a secret society or criminal cabal. The caption below reads: “Don’t flatter yourself that we have not penetrated your disguise! We know that you are Joe Phenix.”
September 28, 2025 at 10:45 PM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Frank Leslie's Boys and Girls Weekly, Feb 21, 1880.

Tracked by a Pirate;
Or, the Adventures of a Young Sponge-Hunter

Roger Starbuck is a pen name for prolific author Augustus Comstock (1837-1908), who specialized in sea stories after working a number of years on a whaling ship.
Front cover of Frank Leslie’s Boys’ and Girls’ Weekly, No. 696, dated February 21, 1880. The masthead is printed in ornate, illustrated lettering with decorative flourishes. The featured serial story is titled Tracked by a Pirate; Or, The Adventures of a Young Sponge-Hunter by Roger Starbuck (Augustus Comstock). A large engraved illustration dominates the page, showing a violent deckside struggle: a young man in naval-style clothing has wrestled a pirate to the ground while pointing a pistol at his face. The pirate, sprawled across the deck with sword nearby, grimaces in rage as he fights back. Behind them, another pirate charges forward with a cutlass raised, while a third figure, possibly an onlooker or shipmate, decends stairs with a pistol. Nautical details such as barrels, ropes, and wooden planks frame the chaotic scene. The caption beneath the image reads: “The pirate made a furious blow at the youth as the latter drew a pistol from his belt; but the young captain dodged the blow, and, taking aim, pulled the trigger of his weapon.”
September 27, 2025 at 11:52 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Frank Leslie's New York Journal, 1855

"The Stockholm Engine" was the first post-Babbage effort at a computing machine. The model shown here was purchased for £1000 by the Dudley Observatory in Albany, New York around this time. Created by the father/son team of Georg and Edvard Scheutz of Sweden.
The Stockholm Engine, 1855: An engraving of Scheutz’s New Calculating Machine, an early mechanical computer based on Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine design. The machine is built on a large wooden base and consists of a complex arrangement of gears, wheels, and vertical rods connected to number wheels arranged in rows. A hand crank on the left is used to operate the mechanism, which could automatically calculate and print mathematical tables. The detailed engraving shows the intricate interlocking gears and numbered drums, reflecting the machine’s experimental engineering. This device, created by Swedish inventors Georg and Edvard Scheutz, represents one of the earliest practical attempts at automated computation.
September 27, 2025 at 4:08 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Boys of New York #611, April 30, 1887.
Published by Frank Tousey

The Electric Horse
Or, Frank Reade Jr. and His Father in Search of the Lost Treasure of the Peruvians.

A cover I like.
Front cover of The Boys of New York: A Paper for Young Americans, Vol. XII, No. 611, dated April 30, 1887. The masthead features bold ornate lettering with decorative flourishes, beneath which is the lead serialized story titled The Electric Horse; or, Frank Reade Jr. and His Father in Search of the Lost Treasure of the Peruvians. The page is dominated by a large engraved illustration showing a dramatic action scene: an experimental vehicle — a carriage with mechanical design elements — speeds across a rugged pampas landscape, drawn by an electrical robot horse. Two armed figures, named Corrajo and Pomp, are seen firing rifles at a giant condor swooping low across the sky. The immense bird spreads its wings menacingly, dwarfing the mountains in the background. Below the image, a caption reads: “The Electric Horse was dashing away in pursuit of the condor, which flew along the pampas skirting the wood. The sides of the deck were lowered, and Corrajo and Pomp seized their rifles, and dropping each on one knee, leveled their weapons, and breathlessly waited to get a shot at the condor.” The bottom of the page continues the text of the serialized adventure.
September 27, 2025 at 12:25 AM
markseifert.bleedingcool.com
Whups, misspelled the hashtag here #phantomsfriday
markseifert.bleedingcool.com Mark Seifert @markseifert.bleedingcool.com · Sep 26
A Banquet with the Dead, author unknown. Full short story for #phantomfriday Street & Smith's Literary Album v2 #41, Sept 29, 1866.

It reminds me of Nosferatu's "Dinner with Count Orlock" scene. "A time of peculiar trial occurs in the life of every man, and Mr. E--- felt that his had come."
Front page of Street & Smith’s Literary Album, Vol. II, No. 41, dated September 29, 1866. The masthead is ornate, with decorative lettering and flourishes. Below the title, the featured article is titled A Banquet with the Dead. The page includes a large engraved illustration: a group of men in dark robes sit around a banquet table covered with food, cups, and pitchers. One man, standing at the right, looks shocked as he glances at the other guests, who are all depicted with hollow-eyed, corpse-like faces. The caption beneath the illustration reads: “A Banquet with the Dead—He glanced at the company—they were all robed in deep black.” The scene conveys a macabre, gothic atmosphere typical of mid-19th-century serialized fiction. Page two of Street & Smith’s Literary Album, Vol. II, No. 41 featuring the conclusion of A Banquet with the Dead, densely set in three columns of small serif text with a decorative border. The top header reads “The Literary Album.” A visible column at the right contains a short poem titled Give Your Brother a Lift and the continuation of a serialized story, The False Heir; or, The Belle of the Season. The page is entirely text-heavy, reflecting the publication’s focus on serialized literature.
September 26, 2025 at 7:58 PM