Cornell Woolrich - Nightwebs

NIGHTWEBS

ACollection of Stories by Cornell Woolrich

editedby Francis M. Nevins, Jr.

Flyleaf:

DorothyB. Hughes says: "This collection of the short stories of thelate Cornell Woolrich is of singular importance, for it removes himfrom the love-in of an exclusive cult, through which he has sufferedfor too many years, and restores him to his status as a writer.Cornell Woolrich was not an icon, he was a working writer. He has, ofcourse, a photographic eye. He also has a vitality of word andphrase; he has ingenuity and perception, and what seems to have beenlong forgotten, humor. Moreover, which also seems to have beenforgotten, he had a munificent variety in his work."

CornellWoolrich's first published work was a novel, _Cover Charge_, broughtout by Boni and Liveright in 1926. His first mystery story waspublished in 1934.

Hewas a haunted man who wrote to keep alive, and he wrote until shortlybefore his death in 1968. When he died, he left no survivors. Hisestate of close to a million dollars was left to Columbia Universityfor scholarships, to go to students of creative writing. The fund isnamed for his mother.

CornellWoolrich wrote not only under his own name but as William Irish andGeorge Hopley.

Hisstories were published in many magazines, including _Black Mask_,_Argosy_, _College Humor_, _Dime Detective_, _Smart Set_, and _ElleryQueen's Mystery Magazine_.

Someof his stories and novels were turned into films, among them _PhantomLady_, _Rear Window_, and _The Bride Wore Black_.

Thestories here collected move from the thirties -- the Depression,dance marathons, speakeasies -- through the Automat, the El train,and gangland.

FrancisNevins has collected many not yet reprinted Woolrich stories, amongthem his most exciting. It is a book to delight and fascinate thereader. And Mr. Nevins includes in this volume, for the scholar, aremarkably comprehensive checklist of Woolrich writings, a mostvaluable bibliography.

DorothySalisbury Davis says: "The writing of Cornell Woolrich goesthrough you like a shriek in the night. Sometimes you even wish youcould forget it, but you can't. _Nightwebs_ is both a tribute and asuperb collection."

NIGHTWEBS.Copyright 1971 by Francis M. Nevins, Jr. "Life Is WeirdSometimes" Copyright 1971 by The Chase Manhattan Bank (NationalAssociation) Executor u/w/o Cornell Woolrich Deceased. All rightsreserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of thisbook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever withoutwritten permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied incritical articles and reviews. For information address Harper &Row, Publishers, Inc., 49 East 33rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10016.Published simultaneously in Canada by Fitzhenry & WhitesideLimited, Toronto.

FIRSTEDITION

STANDARDBOOK NUMBER: 06--013173-X

LIBRARYOF CONGRESS CATALOG CARD NUMBER: 70-144199

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Gratefulacknowledgment is hereby made for permission to reprint the followingstories by Cornell Woolrich:

"Gravesfor the Living." Originally published in Dime Mystery. Copyright1937 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of PopularPublications, Inc.

"TheRed Tide." Originally published in Street & Smith'sDetective Story Magazine. Copyright 1940 by Street & SmithPublications, Inc. Copyright renewed 1968 by The Cond NastPublications Inc. Reprinted by permission of The Cond NastPublications Inc.

"TheCorpse Next Door." Originally published in Detective FictionWeekly. Copyright 1937 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted bypermission of Popular Publications, Inc.

"You'llNever See Me Again." Originally published in Street &Smith's Detective Story Magazine. Copyright 1939 by Street &Smith Publications, Inc. Copyright renewed 1967 by The CondNast Publications Inc. Reprinted by permission of the agents for theEstate of Cornell Woolrich, Scott Meredith Literary Agency, Inc.

"Duskto Dawn." Originally published in Black Mask. Copyright 1937 byPopular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of PopularPublications, Inc.

"Murderat the Automat." Originally published in Dime Detective.Copyright 1937 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permissionof Popular Publications, Inc.

"Deathin the Air." Originally published in Detective Fiction Weekly.Copyright 1936 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permissionof Popular Publications, Inc.

"Mamie'n' Me." Originally published in All-American Fiction. Copyright1938 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of PopularPublications, Inc.

"TheScreaming Laugh." Originally published in Clues DetectiveStories. Copyright 1938 by Street & Smith Publications, Inc.Copyright renewed 1966 by The Cond Nast Publications Inc.Reprinted by permission of the agents for the Estate of CornellWoolrich, Scott Meredith Literary Agency, Inc.

"Deadon Her Feet." Originally published in Dime Detective. Copyright1935 by Popular Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission of PopularPublications, Inc.

"OneNight in Barcelona." Originally published in Mystery BookMagazine. Copyright 1947 by Best Publications Inc. Reprinted bypermission of the agents for the Estate of Cornell Woolrich, ScottMeredith Literary Agency, Inc.

"ThePenny-a-Worder." Originally published in Ellery Queen's MysteryMagazine. Copyright 1958 by Davis Publications Inc. Reprinted bypermission of the agents for the Estate of Cornell Woolrich, ScottMeredith Literary Agency, Inc.

"TheNumber's Up." Originally published in Beyond the Night.Copyright 1959 by Cornell Woolrich. Reprinted by permission ofthe agents for the Estate of Cornell Woolrich, Scott MeredithLiterary Agency, Inc.

"TooNice a Day to Die." Originally published in The Dark Side ofLove. Copyright 1965 by Cornell Woolrich. Reprinted by permission ofthe agents for the Estate of Cornell Woolrich, Scott MeredithLiterary Agency, Inc.

Gratefulacknowledgment is also made to Allen J. Hubin for permission toreprint the following editorial and bibliographic material:

"CornellWoolrich: Part I," by Francis M. Nevins, Jr. Originallypublished in The Armchair Detective. Copyright 1968 by Allen J.Hubin.

"CornellWoolrich: Part II," by Francis M. Nevins, Jr. Originallypublished in The Armchair Detective. Copyright 1969 by Allen J.Hubin.

"CornellWoolrich: Part III," by Francis M. Nevins, Jr. Originallypublished in The Armchair Detective. Copyright 1969 by Allen J.Hubin.

"CornellWoolrich: A Bibliography," by Harold Knott, Francis M. Nevins,Jr. and William Thailing. Originally published in The ArmchairDetective. Copyright 1969 by Allen J. Hubin.

Thequotation by Edna St. Vincent Millay on page 358 is from CollectedPoems by Edna St. Vincent Millay. Copyright 1923 by Edna St. VincentMillay. Copyright renewed 1951 by Norma Millay Ellis. Reprinted withthe permission of Norma Millay Ellis.

Iwas only trying to cheat death. I was only trying to surmount for alittle while the darkness that all my life I surely knew was going tocome rolling in on me some day and obliterate me. I was only tryingto stay alive a little brief while longer, after I was already gone.To stay in the light, to be with the living a little while past mytime.

--CORNELLWOOLRICH

Contents

Introductionvii

I. THE CLAWS OF NIGHT

Gravesfor the Living3

TheRed Tide53

TheCorpse Next Door91

You'llNever See Me Again114

II. DEATH AND THE CITY

Duskto Dawn189

Murderat the Automat225

Deathin the Air249

Mamie'n' Me272

III. THE BUTCHERS AND THE TRAPPED

TheScreaming Laugh289

Oneand a Half Murders314

Deadon Her Feet333

OneNight in Barcelona356

IV. IN THE TWILIGHT

ThePenny-a-Worder407

TheNumber's Up432

TooNice a Day to Die448

LifeIs Weird Sometimes465

CornellWoolrich: A Checklist478