Weird Tales, Vol. IV, No. 2

This Anniversary Number of Weird Tales (May-July 1924, Vol. IV, No. 2) bills itself as containing fifty distinct stories and features. The editorial, spanning multiple pages, defends the magazine's mission of publishing weird and occult fiction previously rejected by mainstream periodicals, arguing that such stories represent true art against formulaic contemporary fiction. The editorial traces the history of horror and imaginative literature from ancient Hebrew texts through Poe, Hawthorne, and contemporary authors, positioning Weird Tales as discovering new American writers worthy of immortality. The issue features "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" by Houdini, described as a thrilling adventure set on the Gizeh Plateau. The story opens with Houdini noting that mystery attracts mystery, and that his fame has led people to share strange narratives and events they link to his interests. The OCR becomes fragmentary thereafter, preventing detailed plot synopsis of the remaining forty-nine stories.