Jon Edgar Webb Short Story “Night after Night” in August 1935 Issue of Story

The August 1935 issue of Story Magazine features the Jon Edgar Webb short story, Night after Night.

Founded and edited by the legendary Whit Burnett, Story was the most read literary magazine of its time, setting a new standard for “little” magazines. The first issue of Story Magazine was published in April/May 1931 on a mimeograph machine in Vienna before moving to New York in 1933.

Story published Bukowski’s short story, Aftermath of a Lengthy Rejection Slip, in its March/April 1944 issue, marking his first appearance in a literary magazine.

Jon Edgar Webb was a crime beat reporter at the Cleveland News when he decided to try to be a criminal himself. He robbed a jewelry story and managed to get in and out of the store with the goods, but during the getaway he went down the wrong alley and ended up serving 30 months in the Ohio State Reformatory. He was the editor of the prison newspaper and learned to set type before being paroled.

While still in prison he began writing chapters for a novel about prison life and finally had it published in 1948 by Dial Press as a hardcover. Four Steps to the Wall would also be published as a mass market paperback by Bantam Books in 1953. In between, he had several stories about the lives of convicts published in magazines, such as this one in Story. Although it does not take place in prison, the plot centers around a former cellmate’s marriage while he was locked up.

As it directly relates to Bukowski, Loujon Press was responsible for transforming Bukowski into an established writer, even if fame wouldn’t occur until years later. They published Bukowski’s first true books, “It Catches My Heart In Its Hands” (1963) and “Crucifix in a Deathhand” (1965). These books are true works of art in and of themselves. The detail, the printing methods, the craftsmanship, and the pure insanity it took to undertake these endeavors was as unparalleled then and as it is today.

They also published Outsider magazine, which became the standard for poetry journals at the time. No other publication attracted nearly the talent that appeared in its pages and the production value of the magazine itself was unrivaled. Bukowski appeared in all four issues, with a large collection of poems in Outsider 1 (1961) and as the named “Outside of the Year” in Outsider 3 (1963), featuring Bukowski on the cover and a large center section.

The front cover is missing and the rear cover has has separated from the rest of the magazine. The interior pages are in overall great shape. The first page has some tears to the spine, but is in no danger of separating. The page edges have toning.

Box 24