Between 1915 and 1930 William Dudley Pelley saw more than 200 of his stories published in the major national magazines of the day. Many were short stories set in his fictional town of Paris, Vermont, acting as brief companion pieces to his novels. Others were non-fiction, editorials and observations on life. Some were serials which, taken in total, would amount to several novellas.
As most of this material is now in the public domain, one need only keep an eye out for these magazines to be digitized. Many have been and are available in divers corners of the web.
One of the most convenient one-stop free databases is at UNZ where their Pelley file compiles the following items from Collier’s and Munsey’s magazines.
Are Millionaires People? by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, January 1926, pp. 663-670.
Behind the Moonglade by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, August 1925, pp. 413-422.
The Blue Lamp by William Dudley Pelley
Collier's Weekly, in 8 parts May 19, 1928 - July 7, 1928.
An Eagle Flies by William Dudley Pelley
The story of a glorious flight, more far-reaching than its backers had dreamed
Collier's Weekly, June 15, 1929, pp. 5-7.
Forgotten Village by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, December 1925, pp. 459-466.
Happier, Far-Off Things by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, June 1925, pp. 39-47.
The Magic Carpet by William Dudley Pelley
A short story
Collier's Weekly, April 21, 1928, pp. 10-11.
The Man Who Wouldn't Be Caught by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, October 1925, pp. 71-80.
This Tough Old World by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, September 1926, pp. 622-632.
The Way of the Primal by William Dudley Pelley
Munsey's Magazine, December 1919, pp. 485-493.
You've Got to Know Life by William Dudley Pelley
A love story in which a budding author blooms too soon
Collier's Weekly, March 24, 1928, pp. 17-18.
The pages consisting of each article are individually available as PDFs at the link below.
https://www.unz.com/print/author/PelleyWilliamDudley/
Years ago, before the dawn of the internet, I went through the entire span of years he was writing in the Reader’s Guide to Periodic Literature and compiled a list of some 40 or 50 of his stories. I’ve often thought I might put together a “Reader’s Guide to Pelley’s Oddest Literature.” Maybe that could be the title of an appendix to this book.
Yet another fantastic index to obscure magazines contains tempting additions to the Pelley list at the link below.
http://www.philsp.com/homeville/fmi/n/n03483.htm#A313
Perhaps I will devote a few upcoming posts to the entire text of a few of his most popular short stories. Did you know he won the O. Henry Award for short fiction on more than one occasion?